GS: If Divided, All Will Fall
by MoonShadow269
Summary: Winston Churchill once said, "If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail." Summer (Crimson) Arithorne, assigned to the region of Oblivia with her partner Benjamin Polari, slowly comes to realize Ben's feelings for her. But when a top ranger is needed in Almia and Ben is assigned to that post, what will Crimson endure when her partner is reassigned?
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary: **Winston Churchill once said, "If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail." Summer (Crimson) Arithorne, assigned to the region of Oblivia with her partner Benjamin Polari, slowly comes to realize Ben's feelings for her. But when a top ranger is needed in Almia and Ben is assigned to that post, what will Crimson endure when her partner is reassigned? Not to mention, when he's reported missing three months later? And to make things worse, what happens when an ex-enemy and a mysterious boy with lavish origins takes interest in her? If Crimson thought this was too much, then what toll will her heart take when Ben reappears without a single memory of the partnership he shared with her?

Hey guys! So heads up, Summer is going to be known as "Crimson" throughout the entirety of this story. For some reason, she feels like much more of a Crimson to me than a Summer. And if she seems OOC in this story, please be aware than in my eyes, she is not. As this is a video game, the characters don't really have that much character by themselves. Therefore, if Crimson's personality doesn't fit to your taste, I apologize, but this is my viewpoint of how Crimson will be depicted. Note: In this story, Ranger School starts when the characters are 16 years old.

Hey guys! I realized something a bit too late. I was looking over my chapters and realized that the spacing was all screwed up. Just to tell, you I did not purposely write it like that otherwise my spellcheck would've killed me. I'm going through _all_ of the chapters in order to fix up the awkward spacing. I have a feeling it was because of the spacing that so many people don't review or do anything with my chapters.

I have no idea what happened because even my A/Ns, which I type on after uploading my chapters, also suffered. I'm currently fixing all the chapters now. I'll take extra care from now on to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

I'm so sorry guys! Please don't give up reading these chapters even though it's the weirdest thing in the world!

Thanks!

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"Congratulations, Ms. Arithorne! You've passed with flying colors!" A shiver of relief went through my body as I let out the breath I had been holding. A smile played at the corner of my lips and I clenched my fist tightly in triumph. _Mom, dad—I did it!_ A well rounded man, Murph, patted me heartily on the back and turned to shoot a delighted grin in Professor Hasting's direction. I looked up to see him give me a curt nod and a smile. "I betcha she's gonna be one of the best rangers in all of Oblivia and Almia!"

"Perhaps, Murph," Professor Hastings replied, his dark eyes staring steadily into mine. "It all depends on Summer if she's going to be the top of the Ranger Union, that is."

"I have no doubt that she's headed for that position!" Murph continued, ignoring the reasoning in the professor's voice. "Aren't cha, Summer?" Although I opened my mouth to respond, he quickly clapped me on the back again and started pushing me toward the door of the testing room. _A rhetorical question,_ I thought to myself, allowing him to drag me through the hallways of the Ranger Union and to a large, Victorian dining hall. _Stop trying to answer everything, Summer._ "Alright, Summer, just take a seat and help yourself to some food! The partnering ceremony will start in just a bit!"

Murph patted me on the back one last time and I looked around hesitantly, eyes skimming the tables for an empty seat. _I should've known I was one of the last people_, I groaned inwardly as the room suddenly grew quiet as soon as Murph left the room. There were only a couple seats empty and all of them were scattered around the room. I felt my cheeks heat up as I quickly stalked toward an open seat, trying my best not to look at my feet as I quickly pulled out a chair and sat down. Once I was situated, the tension in the room snapped and everyone returned to their earlier conversations.

"Hey. What's your name?" A shy, cheery blonde offered me a smile as she turned a way from her friend to talk to me.

"Summer Arithorne," I replied automatically, giving her a curt nod and a hesitant smile.

"I'm Jamie Richards. I have to say, I was a little surprised that we had to capture a Pikachu for the entrance exam. It gave me quite a _shock_ with its power, you know," she joked, blue eyes glittering. Despite my jittery nerves, I laughed in spite of my usual hesitancy to make friends.

"You got shocked?" Jamie and I both looked up to see a startled brunette, whose mouth formed a perfect "o".

"Yes, Beatrice, I'm fried to a crisp and I still live to this day," Jamie drawled dryly, amusement glittering in her eyes when she heard my amused snort. The brunette across the table pouted at her but Jamie quickly waved her hand to show that she was joking. "Anyway, they said that I got a pretty good score on the entrance exam. I just hope the personality test that they gave me earlier on will match me with a good enough partner…" She trailed off, chewing on her lip softly.

"Well, the personality test was definitely unusual," I replied, remembering how confused I was when they asked me to take a quick quiz. "But I guess getting a partner that can tolerate you is probably the best thing they can do for you." Jamie snickered beside me and I turned to give her a confused look.

"My partner's probably going to complain about how optimistic I am," she mumbled sheepishly. "My friends back home alway s got irritated with that part of me."

"I'm sure that optimism helps in dire situations." I offered her a smile. "I'm sure that optimism is more favorable than pessimism or sarcasm." Inwardly, I winced. "My partner's going to have one heck of a time getting over my temper."

"Aww, I don't think you're half bad. Then again, I just met you." Jamie smiled, bumping her shoulder affectionately with mine. Just then, Professor Hastings appeared with Murph trailing close behind. Several people in standardized ranger uniforms stood up and saluted to the two as they headed toward the podium. Jamie and I shared confused looks but stumbled to our feet, as did all the other new rangers had done.

"Who are those people?" I whispered, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible .

"Top rangers, I think. And staff members and other rangers, I think." Jamie hiss ed back, trying her hardest not to face me and move her lips. I nodded and returned my attention to the front, where Murph mimicked the salute everyone was giving him and Professor Hastings shot an exasperated look into the crowd.

"At ease, gentlemen—gentlewomen," Murph bellowed, looking quite pleased with himself. The professor, dressed in a white lab coat, maroon-colored clothing, and a top hat, scowled at his assistant, but quickly returned his attention back to the crowd before him.

"Good afternoon, everyone, I hope you understand that the earlier salute was unplanned in the original order of events." The rangers who were seated at the horizontally placed tables chuckled at his words and Murph scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Anyway, help yourselves to the dinner placed before you. Partners will be announced in a couple of minutes, take your time to fill your stomachs." Everyone was quickly seated and I reached forward to claim one of the chicken legs on the platter set before me. Jamie passed me a dinner roll and scooted the butter over.

After I had arranged my plate with salad, some slices of meat, a chicken leg, a small lump of mash potatoes, and some fruit, Professor Hastings reappeared at the podium and announced that partners were now going to be called. With a soft groan, I set down my fork and turned to face the front of the room again. Jamie's eyes sparkled with amusement as they flickered from my plate to my face. She leaned back and whispered, "don't worry. You'll get to eat soon. I'm sure they'll let you eat after all the partnering stuff is done."

"They better. I didn't come here to be starved," I muttered underneath my breath. Jamie giggled and quickly turned her attention back to the front. "Do you know what they're starting at?"

"I think it's in reverse alphabetical order with the girls," she replied, twisting her head so she could whisper to me. "You'll be one of the last to get up there, so might as well take a couple of bites till then." With a quick nod, I began to eat, making sure to keep an ear open for my name.

"Jamie Richards," Professor Hastings called. Jamie gave me a quick "eep!" and quickly leapt to her feet. "Your partner will be Julian Terra." I craned my neck to see what was happening on stage. Jamie was blushing as she shook hands with her new partner, a slender Asian boy with a shy smile. Both of them were handed a strip of paper and headed down the stage to return to their seats.

"What's the paper for?" I asked, swallowing my bite of lettuce when she seated herself again.

"Room numbers," she replied, fiddling with her fingers. "Turns out that we're sharing rooms…" Jamie flushed again, almost giggling to herself as she tucked the paper into her green examination uniform. _Oh god,_ I groaned inwardly. _Sharing rooms? Possibly with a guy?_ It was probably the last thing I was looking forward to this evening. But then again…there were people who were paired up with the same sex. I crossed my fingers, hoping fervently that whoever I was partnered with was a girl.

Names were listed until mine was called and Jamie squeezed my shoulder as my name was called. "Good luck," she mouthed, patting me on the back as I stood up and headed toward the podium. My heart was pounding as I headed onto the stage, standing before the crowd and trying my best not to show how nervous I was. "…partner will be Benjamin Polari." My heart squeezed itself once and I steeled myself as I heard footsteps come in my direction—well, let's get it over with already, I suppose. I turned and raised my eyes t o meet my partner's.

He was a couple of inches taller than me, with gravity-defying brown hair and warm brown eyes. He gave me a small smile as he offered his hand to me. Without a moment's hesitation, I took it, giving him a firm handshake shake and a nod before Murph and Professor Hastings handed us our room numbers. _Room 3, floor 2._ Without a single word, the two of us parted with faint smiles and headed back down the stage to our respectable seats.

"Nice," Jamie whispered as I took my seat and started eating again. Professor Hastings moved on to start reading from a list that had boys partnered up with each other. Unfortunately, it seemed that fewer females were able to pass the actual exam and every girl was partnered with a guy. So much for my hopes of being partnered up with another girl. "According to Mitchel—he says he's your partner's best friend—Ben passed with one of the highest scores in the entire exam. They said that his capture was almost an 's' r anking." I raised an eyebrow at that. An s-ranking on the entrance exam? Jamie quickly took my reaction to her words as a sign of surprise. "Mhmm, exactly. You got paired up with one of the most talented people in the academy. You're soooo lucky," she cooed, although she didn't seem fairly jealous of my partner.

"Well, let's see how well we'll get along," I replied, quickly picking up my fork and digging in.

Dinner was quickly over and before I knew it, I was standing in front of my dorm room and staring at the knob blankly. _Remember, to your left, if you walk all the way down to the end of the corridor, is the floor bathroom. Showerheads will be on for a total of ten minutes max, s o don't spend too much time singing in t he showers_. Murph's rather…interesting speech about how the dorms function was still ringing in my head. _On your right, if you walk all the way down to the end of the corridor, is the floor laundry room. Try not to use them every day, nonstop guys. It's best if you just wash all your clothes together at once._ Shaking my head, I strengthened my resolve and pushed the door open. I walked in to see my things lying in a small stack in the middle of the floor next to another pile of suitcases. There were two twin beds placed on opposite sides of the room and between them sat two desks. At the foot of both beds were bureaus and a small walk-in closet was placed on the right side of the room. _Huh, that's funny_, I thought to myself,_ I thought my partner would be here by now…Guess no—_

With a sharp intake of air, I immediately twisted my body and balanced myself on right leg for a roundhouse kick. "WHOA! " I growled as my foot failed to connect with anything and quickly leapt back, glaring at the person who had approached me from behind. However, the adrenaline that had pumped through my body faded in to a warm tingle as I realized the boy sitting on the floor with a slightly awed look on his face was my partner. "I was definitely not expecting that," he laughed, quickly getting off the floor and brushing himself off. I relaxed my position and stared at him. "Next time I won't sneak up on you like that. Wow," he muttered to himself, "definitely not expecting that." He quickly turned his attention back to me. "So, where'd you learn to kick like that?"

I blinked at him warily before replying. "My brother…he took karate and decided to teach me some basic self-defense…" My partner blinked, his brown eyes glittering.

"Seriously? That's cool! Anyway, let's introduce ourselves again. I don't think just knowing each other's names is enough to be considered partners yet." His eyes were dancing with excitement and energy. He reached out his hand again, offering me a handshake, just as he had done on the stage. "My name's Benjamin, but you can call me Ben!"

"I'm Summer." I reached out to shake his hand.

"Summer, huh…we should make a nickname for you! You know, you can call me Ben an d I can call you…uh…"

"Crimson?" I offered. It was my favorite color and whenever my brother and I used to play pirates, I always named myself Crimson. It seemed perfect if Ben was so insistent on giving me a nickname.

"Crimson…" Ben repeated, as if he were testing the name on his tongue. Then he nodded vigorously, his brown eyes glowing with approval. "Yep! That's a cool name! It's like you're a female pirate or something!" He quickly glanced down at the suitcases piled behind me. "Hey, how 'bout we unpack and chat? It'd be great to get to know 'ya better!"

Although I was startled by how eager he was to become acquainted with me, I smiled and quickly claimed the bed on the left, dragging my possessions toward my bureau. Ben followed suit, chattering happily about his family and his interests as he started loading his folded clothes into the drawers. I quickly learned that he was from a family of five and he was the eldest of his siblings. He had Growlithe that he had affectionately named " Copper" and a small vacation villa that his parents went to every year. His favorite colors were blue and red and his favorite Pokémon was a Salamance.

"Man, Drake was my hero when I was a kid!" Ben smiled, reminiscing about the past. "I almost wanted to be a trainer instead of a ranger, but then I realized that I'd much rather help benefit Pokémo whole—regardless of whether they were captured or wild."

In return, I told Ben about how my parents were Pokémon doctors and caretakers. I told him about my older brother and how he had gone off to join the police force in order to lower the number of crime s that were committed in the world. "My best friend was Zenith—we were friends ever since we were children. Just two years ago, he decided to leave home and go out to be the next Pokémon champion." Ben choked on his own spit and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Zenith, and in Champion Zenith? Seriously? You knew Zenith?"

"He's my best friend," I repeated, slightly amused by Ben's reaction. "His A-Team consists of—"

"—Cosmic the Ninetails, Platinum the Aggron, Leviathan the Garados, Evanescent the Swampert, Avius the Pelipper, and Crescendo the Gardevoir," Ben breathed.

"His B-Team is—"

"—Paladin the Dragonite, Arky the Arcanine, Flamel the Camrupt, Forever the Metagross, Majesty the Kingdra, and Harper the Breloom."

"Paladin and Arky were eggs that were—"

"—Gifts from a good friend of his!" Ben finished each and every sentence for me, his entire body quivering with excitement.

"Well, they were gifts from my family, but—" I tried to talk again but Ben cut me off for the fourth time.

"YOU GAVE HIM ARKY AND PALADIN?!" He all but roared as he jumped onto his feet. I winced at the sudden change in volume.

"My family's Dragonite and Arcanine were the very ones who fathered those eggs. We bred both of them with dittos. Not to mention, Zenith also received a ditto as a gift. He named it Dopple as in Doppleganger." I told him, zipping up my empty suitcase and moving to put in the walk-in closet.

"That's so cool," he cooed. "I bet you're really proud of him!"

"Of course I am," I smiled back at Ben. "But don't think you'll get instant access to Zenith through me," I teased. Ben placed his hand against his chest as if he was offended, but his eyes were sparkling with laughter. Just as I said those words, a chilly feeling rushed over me and let out a long sigh. "I haven't seen Zenith in a year," I whispered, sitting down on my bed. "He writes all the time and sends gifts and all but…" I looked at Ben, unsure of how he'd react to my selfishness. "Sometimes I wish that he could just come home someday and be the Zenith that I knew back when I was a child. It's not that he's selfish and rude now, it's just…he's so overwhelmed by everything that…I think he's going to end his career soon.

"He told me after he became champion, 'I didn't fight or win to be beaten. I gave all of the champions I had beaten their spot back. I'll travel around and fight whoever wants to fight me, but I'm not going to hold a position of power. Truthfully, I don't like fame or fortune. I' ll probably end up settling down in a small town somewhere and raise a farm or take care of Pokémon.' Of course, he decided that he was probably going to settle down in a place close by my house."

"Are you two…lovers?" Ben asked softly.

"No. We're like siblings." I replied, smiling softly. "He's like my long lost twin. We're really dependent on each other, but all these years have passed and I can't even dream of seeing him as anything past a family member." Ben looked like he was about to say something but some one knocked softly on our door. The two of us froze in surprise, but Ben recovered first.

"What is it?"

"Lights out in ten minutes, guys." Murph's voice called from the other side.

"Alright!" Ben and I replied.

"Good night, Sum—Crimson," he smiled at me. I grabbed my toothbrush and my towel and nodded at him.

"Good night, Ben," I whispered as I head ed out the door and toward the floor bathroom.

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A/N: Hey guys! So heads up—Zenith is the character that I usually play in the original Pokemon games. I usually play as the male character because I personally think they look cooler than the female characters (no offense to all those who play true to their genders). Arky and Paladin (Arcanine and Dragonite) are two of my favorite Pokemon and unfortunately, since I've only really played Emerald and Sapphire, I don't actually have either of these Pokemon. However, all the others who are mentioned are actually mine and they will be featured throughout the story.

I'm actually a bit nervous about writing this story because I'm aware that I have at least two other FanFictions that need to be finished but I never really get around to finishing them. Hopefully, this story will come out to be one of the first to finish since the idea's still fairly new in my head.

Thanks guys! R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! I know I'm skipping around with the plot, but I seriously couldn't think of how I was going to write the highlights of their school life since I've only really played Guardian Signs and missed out on Shadows of Almia. I hope you enjoy this chapter too~!

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"Summer," Professor Hastings nodded to me, "Ben," he turned to acknowledge my partner. Being the more optimistic and carefree of our partnership, Ben smiled at him while I tried not to fiddle with the hem of our new ranger uniforms. After half a year into training, Ben and I were quickly pushed up the trainee ranks until we finally found ourselves placed into a new division of rangers called the "All-rounders". This position called for nominations, high grades on tests and projects, extremely fast reflex-reactions, and just plain talent. Ben called it a mixture of luck and hard work, but I couldn't help but say that part of it was just how talented we were. But of course, my partner credited me most of the time to make him seem the humbler one, which irritated me to no end.

Our new uniforms were definitely flashy and rather…revealing on my part. Both of us had bright red vests—which, for some reason, ended a couple inches above our waists—and a blue and white top. My shirt was sleeveless and for some odd reason, skin tight. To top that off, I had super short blue jean shorts and a bright red belt to go along with it. A golden yellow scarf was tied around my neck, blue fingerless gloves on my hands, red socks to go with blue shoes, blue-and-red goggles on my head, and a capture styler on my right wrist. Ben had a similar outfit, except his shorts went to his knees and his shirt was more…open to imagination. Not to mention, his vest was a tiny bit longer…Well, obviously if the Ranger Union decided to ship us off to a snowy mountain top, they could rest assured that I would be the first to freeze.

If we were standing beside a regular pair of rangers, who were usually stationed in certain regions, then we would be a small candle in a room of darkness. Our outfits called attention to every person in the room and we would be the firs t to spot in the distance. Professor Hastings tried to assure us that our positions as "All-rounders" required very eye-catching clothing. Mind you, a little _too_ eye-catching on my behalf. The regular rangers wore dark gray-and-white jumpsuits similar in length as ours, but were much more modest with a small red vest to go with them.

All-rounders were categorized as the rangers who would be temporarily stationed in certain areas and were often given very important and difficult tasks. Not to mention that, but they would also have to assist the nearby rangers in doing small favors that the people of the region asked for. In other words, we had every thing to do, from settling Pokémon to helping people with their problems to solving mysteries to tracking Pokémon-harming corporations to just about every other duty a ranger would possibly have. Not to mention, we were to be stationed in entire regions whereas regular rangers would have to worry about a small part of one. Unfortunately, Ben and I were currently the only ones in this position.

"Summer, Ben, I have an extremely important task for you at hand." I quickly focused back onto the present and looked up to meet Professor Hastings' eyes. "There were a number of small groups that recently came together to create a larger organization—also known as Pokémon Pinchers. From what we know, these people control Pokémon and take them from their homes. Regardless of why they decided to unify themselves, we know that they are definitely up to no good . I want you two to head for the region of Oblivia to investigate their plans, and if necessary, intervene in them."

"W-wait a minute!" Murph rushed forward, stumbling into the room. Startled, Ben and I stood aside so he could reach Professor Hastings' side. "If you need an explanation of the Oblivia Region, leave it to me! After all, I'm in charge of the PR here at the Union!"

"PR?" I whispered to Ben.

"No idea," he whispered back, shrugging his shoulders. Both of us quickly returned our attention back to Murph, who was being scolded by Professor Hastings. However, after Murph's tearful ramblings about how his few responsibilities were being taken from him, the professor sighed and let his assistant take over. With a gleam of triumph in his eye, Murph quickly turned back to Ben and I.

"Anyway, lemme give you a brief explanation about the region you'll be stationed in. In a sense, it's a place the rest of the world has forgotten about. It's a carefree and peaceful paradise!"

Professor Hastings raised a fluffy white eyebrow. "You're correct about it being carefree and peaceful. That, however, might be exactly what these Pinchers are after. The area is so peaceful that we only have one Area Ranger posted there. "

"Well, their motto is 'Oblivia, Island of Ancient Ruins and Legends'. Sounds like an adventure, doesn't it?"

"Indeed," Professor Hastings agreed, "recently, many archaeology buffs have been visiting these islands. I'd like to visit if I had the time as well but…" he quickly trailed off and cleared his throat before turning back to my partner and I. "Now listen, you two. It may be peaceful, but don't let your guard down."

"Annnndddd time for the second part of my explanation!" Murph quickly cut in. " There're nine parts in all, so make yourselves comfortable, alright?" Professor Hastings shot a glare in Murph's direction.

"Enough! If you're that desperate for work, then I'll think of something for yo u to do!" Murph whimpered and murmured something about getting an interesting job . "Either way, this mission is urgent . Depart immediately for the Oblivia region. Cooperate with Pokémon and foil the Pinchers' plans. Defend nature and peace for everyone."

"Yes, sir!" Ben replied, saluting with a wink in Murph's direction. I couldn't help but smile as I thought back to the partnering ceremony. Murph didn't seem to catch Ben's gesture and muttered to himself about how the words "defend nature and peace for everyone" sounded like an amazing ranger catchphrase. Slightly bemused, Ben rolled his eyes and grinned at me. His smile was infectious. He nodded to me and the two of us turned and quickly struck our poses, trying our best not to laugh as we ignored the burning stares of both Professor Hastings and Murph. Ben turned and faced me, a confident look on his face. "To the islands of Oblivia!" He cheered, throwing a fist into the air.

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"Current location… X Coordinate 055665, Y Coordinate 355671. Seawater has penetrated the Styler's Voice Nav. circuit. Current location… X Coordinate 05 bzzzz … Y Coordinate bzz bzz… Seawater zzz penetrated the Styler's bzzzzz…" _My head…what happened?_ Groaning, I rose to my knees and shook my head before getting onto my feet. Voice Nav. picked up my movements and started talking again. "This is Dolce Island in the Oblivia region…Bzzz…Recovering Voice Nav. system… Recovering Voice Nav. System…please verify that you own this Styler with your name…" With a huff, I typed in " N" and waited for the verifying " brrring" which would automatically redirect me to my Styler's home menu.

As I waited for the sound, I tried to remember what had happened earlier. _Oh yeah…_

**Just minutes after our meeting with Professor Hastings, Ben and I took off our Staraptors and were headed toward the region of Oblivia. Voice Nav. had alerted me that there was a distressed Pokémon farther ahead and I had quickly told Ben I was going to see what was going on. Without waiting for his answer, I took off, squinting behind my goggles. Staraptor wove between the clouds until we found ourselves in front of two people dressed in green uniforms. Both of them stood on floating metal devices that looked like someone had taken a scooter , flattened the bottom out, and took out its wheels. **_**Pinchers**_**, I had automatically guessed.**

**There was a red and white Pokémon in front of them, darting frantically in and out of the clouds. Automatically, I had assumed that it was the Pokémon that Voice Nav. has been talking about. Squeezing the sides of my Staraptor gently, I urged him to go faster. "HEY!" I called out at the top of my lungs. The two people turned in alarm and the Pokémon they had been chasing quickly disappeared into the clouds.**

**What happened then on had been a blur, but I was briefly aware of Ben finally catching up to me and challenging the two pinchers before us. A man on a red version of their vehicles had appeared and fired plasma cannons at Ben. Before I realized what I was doing, I was hit by a glowing pink ball and was plummeting at extremely high speeds. **

_**I jumped in front of Ben**_**, I realized while I was falling through the sky. My heart clenched for a second and a feeling of horror washed over me. I didn't regret jumping in front of Ben. But I had left him to deal with those Pinchers alone. And they might've just sent him tumbling down after me. Suddenly I realized that I was plummeting toward a large body of water. Without a moment 's hesitation, I had adjusted my position in the sky and dove feet first into icy cold waters. Then the events to follow involved me chasing after a marine Pokémon that had picked up my fallen Styler and being tossed ashore by an extremely fast current.**

_No, it wasn't a current_, I thought suddenly as my Voice Nav. began to throw instructions at me. _It was a submarine of some sort…it was enormous!_ Shaking my head in disbelief, I numbly picked my way from the beach and into Dolce Island, where the silence of the forest merely added to my numbness. _Oh god…where's Ben? _Fear gripped my heart for my partner_. Please be safe_, I begged, picking up my pace as I rushed through the trees of Dolce Island, silently praying that my partner had somehow washed ashore with me.

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Third Person – Ben's PoV

_I can't believe it. Crimson…jumped in front of me?_ A feeling of guilt seized his heart. _It's all my fault. If I wasn't so reckless…If I hadn't spoken up…This would've never had happened._ Ben lowered his head, ashamed of his actions. As he was recovering from the shock of Crimson's sacrifice, he had been wrestled off of his Pokémon partner, Staraptor, and blindfolded. The man on the red vehicle who shot Crimson down later introduced himself to be Red Eyes, a name Ben cautiously took note of. Chewing fervently on his bottom lip, Ben shuffled around and tried hard to reach in to his back pockets. Since he was blindfolded, there was no way of knowing whether other people were in the room with him. However, the silence that met his quiet shuffling encouraged him to try harder.

As soon as his hands came in contact with a small, thin disk, he let out a breathless sigh of relief. If it was too late to save Crimson…then he would by all means avenge her. With shaking hands, he peeled off the waxy sticker on the disk and leaned heavily against the wall, using his weight to not only hide the disk but to ensure that the stickiness of the metal object would be used to its advantage.

_You're my only hope now,_ he thought grimly, relaxing as he scooted further away from where he had placed the disk. A wave of sorrow washed over him. What was he going to do after being rescued by another ranger or breaking out on his own? Was he going to be assigned another partner? One by a name that wasn't Crimson's? One that didn't have Crimson's face?

Ben shook his head, overwhelmed by his feelings of misery. A deeper pain ached within himself, but he quickly brushed it off as being his guilt and sorrow for the loss of his partner. _How can I ever go back?_ He wondered to himself gloomily. "Crimson…" he whispered before squeezing his eyes shut and willing himself to dream of the girl who advanced by his side.

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A/N: Ya know, at this point, I'm not even sure if the feelings that Crimson has for Ben are those of love. I purposely made it so that Ben's a bit...oblivious to his own feelings, but otherwise, Crimson's pretty ahead of the game. She' s sort of an enigma, now that I think of her. She shows some emotions but she doesn't reveal all of them...she's friendly enough but she's always acting as if she has something to hide...I guess she's just the kind of girl who finds it hard to trust those around her. Let's hope that she'll start to trust Ben in the chapters to come...

Truthfully, I had to pull out my ranger game and start it from the beginning (without saving it, of course. I don't want to lose my hard work...) to get the gist of what Professor Hastings said in the beginning of the game. Unfortunately, I didn't want to repeat the entire thing to catch with Red Eyes and all the other people were doing up to that point; I think I should be focused on my own writing rather than taking actual lines from the game. But of course, none of that belongs to me in case other people were starting to think that I stole Pokemon...

Anyway, heads up for the next chapter: I'm probably going to go on Youtube and watch some of the videos that other people had placed up for walkthroughs because I sure as hell don't want to replay the entire game. Next chapter's probably going to feature Blue Eyes, so look forward to it!

R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about this, guys! There'll be about one or two more chapters of summarizing the game and then we'll get into what the Fanfic's really supposed to be about. Truthfully, I'm a bit surprised that I managed to write all of this so diligently, but as promised, I had to go onto youtube and watch walkthroughs in order to remember the different events that happened in the game. Anyway, I hope all of you guys are enjoying this so far.

* * *

_A glowing light startled all the villagers around me as they started to panic. Mesmerized, I watched as the green sphere darted from side to side, easily scaring off everyone around me. Slowly, it drifted back to a stone pillar and turned into a Pokémon. "Celebi, Legendary Time Traveling Pokémon," Voice Nav. mumbled somewhere in the background._

"_Biii!" The green and white Pokémon circled around me; its large green eyes glittering with curiosity as it looped around me. Suddenly, it lunged at me and attacked. Startled, I whipped out my Capture Styler, barely dodging the Pokémon as it zipped past me. The training I had gone through with Ben quickly filled my mind and I began to draw rapid capture hoops around the Pokémon. Celebi tensed and I quickly withdrew my styler, dodging to the side as it began to send razor sharp leaves in a spray. As soon as it began recovering from using that move, I leapt back into action, my muscles guiding me as I continued to draw hoops around the legendary Pokémon. Before I knew it, I was breathing heavily and staring at the docile Celebi who was lazily drifting in circles around me. I was partially aware of Voice Nav. registering Celebi in my browser._

_Seemingly delighted, Celebi raised itself up and opened up a golden portal, watching with amusement as I flailed from suddenly being lifted up and tossed into the open space. Before I knew it, I landed in a small courtyard and Celebi circled around me again, cooing happily. I looked around—where was I? This looked like Cocona Village except most of the buildings that had been around had disappeared. "Hey Celebi, are you making mischief again?" Someone called._

"_Bii!" Celebi replied happily, flying over to a young boy's side and leading him to me. He raised a golden eyebrow at me as he adjusted the blue cap on his head. I couldn't help but stare—his outfit was so different…His next words told me that he was doing the same._

"_You look…very interesting. I've never seen clothes like that before." He looked thoughtful for a second before a horrified expression took over his face. "Wait! Did you…come here by Celebi's Time Travel?"_

"_Biii!" Celebi answered happily for him. Immediately, the boy turned on the Pokémon._

"_Celebi! Why did you do that?" He looked exasperated and began scolding the Celebi. "You need to take this person back to the right time!" Then he paused. "…Hold on. Can you wait for a while?" I blinked, unsure of whether he was addressing me or the Pokémon. The boy quickly turned to me. "My name is Ravio. This sometime mischievous one is my friend Celebi." Immediately, he began questioning for personal information—name, hometown, occupation. Without missing a beat, I began to answer all of his questions. Before I knew it, he began to conclude that I came from a different time period and how terrifying it would be to know the future. Either way, he asked for me to explain my job as a ranger and quickly looked at me with a new light in his eyes._

"_You're like the temple oracles! Did you become friends with Celebi? Can you tell it to stop causing such mischief? It seems to have brought you here for no reason although it should know better than to do that…" He paused for a second and glanced at the temple doors. I looked up at them as well—there was some sort of weird mask design on the wood. "Crimson…can you forgive Celebi?" I nodded and Ravio gestured for Celebi to come closer. " Celebi, I want you to take Crimson back to her time." The green Pokémon seemed to deflate a little._

"_Bii…" Ravio said his farewells and offered me a small smile, as if he expected to never see me again. Celebi raised itself into the air and opened up another gold portal. I braced myself for the adrenaline rush as I was suddenly picked up by an unknown force and tossed back into the present. Immediately, everyone from the village swarmed over to me. Everyone babbled about something about how they were so scared or shocked or worried for me, themselves, and the village. Dazed, I barely heard Ralph say that Pichu's Ukulele was just about finished. With a blank nod, I followed him back to Booker' s home._

* * *

"Ye best be gettin', Crimson. The sooner you find Rand, the better." Booker nodded at me as Arley and Ralph left his house to go back to the central area of Cocona Village. The elderly man leaned heavily on his staff, scowling at his assistant, Nick, as he ran around the room trying to assemble boats. Booker paused and turned around, wincing as he knelt down so he was eye-level with Ukulele Pichu. "Be careful, little one." His stern eyes softened as he looked over the small, yellow creature with a bright blue ukulele. Pichu chirped happily and hopped a couple of times, dancing from side to side. Booker lifted his gaze to meet mine. "Get those Pinchers and their UFOs for what they did to the Pokémon on Dolce Island." A shiver of rage shook his body and his eyes narrowed in anger. "And bring 'em back."

"Of course." I nodded, before glancing down at Ukulele Pichu. "Time to go, bud," I whispered, walking out of Booker's house. "You ready?"

"Pichu!" He stared up at me, as if to say, _are you kidding? I was born ready!_ I chuckled, kneeling down and ruffling the fur on the top of his head softly.

"Let's go save your friends," I murmured. _And Ben_, I added mentally.

When we were in Rasp Cavern with Ralph to find Arley, one of the Pinchers had said something about a prisoner called Ben. My heart soared at the mention of his name, but while I was distracted with this good news, the Pinchers leapt forward and destroyed a stone monument with their capture gauntlets. Immediately, I threw myself after them, but a large beast reached them first. With a roar, it had scared off the Pinchers and stopped for a second to inspect the damage on the stone slate. With a vengeful cry, it tore off after the vandalists, spraying a fine coat of cave dust on Pichu and I. I reported immediately to Booker, who gave me the location of the area ranger of Oblivia and sent me off to grab some wood off of Dolce Island to repair Pichu's ukulele, which had been broken in our confrontation with the Pinchers.

As soon as I returned with the wood, Booker immediately fixed the ukulele and gave it to Pichu. However, when I turned to leave, Pichu raced after me, a determined look in his eyes. Before I knew it, he was holding me back, clinging to my leg and refusing to release me. Booker and Nick raced after us and saw how I was desperately trying to soothe the Pichu clinging onto my leg. Booker quickly decided that Pichu wanted to go with me to avenge its friends. _"I hear you ranger have a Pokémon you usually take along with you. A partner or somethin'. Why don't you take Ukulele Pichu with ya? He wants to get his friends back and he seems to like you a lot. How 'bout it?"_

I had hesitated then, but quickly accepted Ukulele Pichu's offer. Now the two of us were preparing to head toward Rand's house. Pichu and I headed down the beach in relative silence. "Hey! Hey you!" Startled, I looked up. A blue haired girl with bright red glasses waved at me from where she stood. Slightly confused, I walked over to her, eyes flickering to the tanned girl beside her and the rather agitated Lapras treading water in the shallows. "You're a ranger, right?" She asked as her eyes locked on my Capture Styler. Hesitantly, I nodded and her eyes lit up like a little kid being offered a candy bar. "Can you swim? Can you open your eyes underwater? Can you stand salt ? Can you dive underwater with those goggles? They can even let you breathe? Wow! Then, I have a request! One of those UFOs fell into the ocean. I reeeaaaalllly wanna research it, so can you go get it for me? You have to, 'cause on this island, there's a rule that you have to grant three wishes to any girl who's younger than you."

I blinked, slightly amused and overwhelmed by how assertive this girl was. Her tanned friend looked confused at the rule the blue-eyed girl had brought up but said nothing as she stood by the Lapras. "This is my first request!" Almost immediately, Voice Nav. spoke up.

"There appears to be an oil leakage in the ocean. We should examine that immediately." The blue-eyed girl's eyes gleamed with triumph. With a chuckle, I agreed to her terms. It seemed that even Voice Nav. was supporting the little girl's requests—with a different excuse, that is. Blushing slightly, I did my ranger pose and tried hard not to get too flustered at the stares I was receiving. Immediately, the blue-eyed girl looked surprised.

"Your Styler can talk? That's different than Papa's." I blinked. Papa? _I suppose Rand is her father then._ "Hey, hey, Nixie! You heard that, right ?" The girl stormed over to her friend, jumping happily. "Can you let Lapras help?" The tanned girl looked uneasy.

"Alright, but Lapras won't let you ride her if she doesn't respect you…" The blue-eyed girl glanced at my Styler and immediately decided that it wouldn't be too hard to earn the Lapras' respect. She pushed me over to the Lapras and initiated my capture before warning me. _Great,_ I groaned inwardly as the Lapras arched its neck and prepared to attack, _this is what happens when I'm being pushed around._

* * *

After swimming through the depths of the ocean, being attacked by two angry Pokémon, chasing after an agitated Kingdra, and being attacked repeatedly by aggressive Sharpedos, I returned to the surface with a very heavy metal object with the words "Z.Z Flier" on the side. As soon as I surfaced with the UFO, I did a quick pose for a Mission Clear. I flushed as the blue-eyed girl watched my ranger pose. Murph had insisted back at the Ranger Union that all rangers have a pose for every time they receive a mission and complete one.

"Your ranger pose is more like a rock star's than my papa's," she commented. "Oh, that reminds me; I haven't introduced myself yet! I'm Nema!" I introduced myself and answered her questions about why I was here in Oblivia. "That sounds really cool! What? You want to meet my papa? Sheesh! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Nixie rolled her eyes at Nema's words but I couldn't help but chuckle. She was bossy and assertive—and extremely passionate with her words. In a way, she reminded me of Jamie. "Hey Crimson, for my second request, can you carry this UFO for me?"

* * *

I was nearly bent over in exhaustion. When Nema and I were almost at her house, we confronted two pinchers who sent their Pokémon after me due to their bad mood and their failed attempt to catch Raikou. By the time that we reached her house, we realized that her room was on fire and Nema quickly sent me out to go take out the fire as her last request. And if to make things worse, the fire got even bigger after my first attempt to take it out. After I had finally managed to extinguish the fire, I still had to drag the Z.Z. Flier into Nema's house. As she started talking to me about her research on developing new crime-fighting weapons, Voice Nav. began to speak up. Nema looked at the Styler on my wrist with curiosity. "Your Styler sure is different from my Papa's. It doesn't seem to be working properly though…Lemme take a look at it!" I hesitated when she reached for it. "Oh, don't look so worried. It'll be fine!"

Within seconds, she was cooing over the circuits within the Styler. Within a couple of seconds, she had the Styler back on my arm and working like brand new. I gaped at the girl in front of me. She was some sort of technological genius! Nema seemed to be pleased with the look on my face and how the Styler was working as she hummed happily. "Hmmm…Papa's really late…we should probably go out and meet him! He should be by the wireless tower…" With an inward sigh, I promised my aching muscles that hopefully within an hour or so, I would be able to rest them.

* * *

_How did it come to this?_ I thought inwardly as I rushed up the metal stairs of the wireless tower. Nema and I were confronted by several Pinchers before actually meeting up with her father. When I finally thought I would have a couple of minutes to rest, I was sent out on an urgent mission to stop the Pinchers from destroying the tower. Rand wheezed a little as he rushed after me and I felt a twinge of sympathy for him. He was definitely in his prime, but since this area was so peaceful, it was understandable why he was out of shape. Trying my best not to pant, I rounded the last step and stared at the people in front of me. There were a total of three people scattered around on the platform. Raikou stood with its back against the destroyed antenna. Immediately, Rand dashed forward, a determined look in his eyes as he confronted the one closest to us.

She was blonde, with blue eyes and an outfit that was different from the other Pinchers that I had come across earlier. With a smirk, she jumped onto a blue Z.Z Flier and left Rand and I with an extremely agitated Raikou on the top of the tower. "Crimson…" Rand warned as Pichu leapt back to avoid the bolts of lighting the legendary lightning beast was firing. "Be careful."

* * *

"Good job, Crimson, you did a great job." Rand smiled approvingly at me from where he stood in his living room. I smiled wearily at him, but I wasn't reassured by his words. As soon as we calmed down Raikou, Rand and I took off to chase after the pinchers that had fled the scene. We chased them all the way to the Booker Bridge but were cut off by a blonde man with red eyes. Immediately, I had recognized him. _He was the man who fired plasma cannons at me…_I growled inwardly. _He was the one who knocked me out the sky. He seemed surprised that I'm even alive_. When he refused to tell me the location of Ben, I had almost launched myself at him. I had gone days carrying my guilt for my partner, thinking that I had left him to die the second I fell out of the sky. The red-eyed pincher watched me for a second and told me that Ben was safe.

My knees weakened for a split second but my relief was quickly replaced with fury when the pincher joked about how they had wounded him. With a smile he departed, leaving us with four Voltorbs that destroyed the bridge. Dismayed but fueled with anger, I allowed Rand to lead me back to his house, where we began to discuss battle plans. While he was busy introducing Leanne to me, Nema took my Styler and disappeared for a couple of minutes. After a few long moments, she reappeared, triumphantly declaring that she had upgraded my Styler. I gaped at the empty case on my wrist and stared as she moved forward to reattach my Styler. "When did you-how did…?" I looked at her with confusion. "What did you do?"

"Weeeelllll, you and mom were talking about emblems and I decided to insert a new gadget that would let you project an emblem in the sky! It's called 'Drawing Fun Signs with Lines'. Let's go try it out!" She grabbed me by the shoulders and began pushing me out of the house, happily ignoring my protests as her parents followed us out. "Try it! It should be on your Styler menu! 'Drawing Fun Signs with Lines'!"

"…Let's just call it sign mode," Leanne suggested, mildly amused by her daughter's enthusiasm.

Hesitantly, I clicked on the icon and raised my Styler into the sky. A figure flashed in front of me and I quickly drew in what I remembered. A bolt of lightning flashed from the sky and I found myself astride Raikou. Nema, Leanne, and Rand stared at me with wide eyes.

"I…I can't believe it. That's amazing," Rand stammered. He looked at me with wide eyes. "The song…_For Great Raikou, it's one bound._ Do you know what this means? You can get across the bridge before Booker even finishes repairing it!" My eyes widened. I could leave now? I could go and find Ben right now?

"Crimson? Where are you going?" Nema called as I turned Raikou in the direction of the Booker Bridge.

"I'm going to get Ben!" I called over my shoulder as my heart rate sped up and Raikou bolted toward Booker's bridge.

* * *

"Crimson…I'm not sure whether I'm interrogating her or being interrogated myself," Murph groaned, burying his face in his hands. I chuckled softly, unsure of how to comfort him. Rubbing my hand on his lower back would be ridiculously awkward so I decided to settle with patting him on the shoulder. Murph grumbled something about how irritating Blue Eyes was and slumped over again. "Anyway…what took you so long? You were gone for at least half an hour before coming back. Don't tell me you got lost again…"

"I didn't," I replied, feeling slightly sheepish as I thought back to what had happened.

_Murph had gone ahead to take away a weakened Blue Eyes to the Union, where he would be interrogating her. Suddenly, a golden portal opened up and Celebi appeared the second that I stepped out of the old mansion. "Biii!" It called happily, dragging me into the glowing space. Ukulele Pichu panicked, crying out as I was suddenly flung through the portal and was taken from his sight. The last that I saw of Pichu before the portal closed was him desperately trying to throw himself after me._

_As I landed in the plaza where I had met Ravio, I became aware that like last time, I wasn't alone. Three people stared at me from where I had landed—Ravio, Tanvir, and Kira. Celebi ignored Ravio's protest and complaints as it dragged me closer toward the temple gates. Ravio looked confused by Celebi's insistency and everyone looked up in surprise as the gates opened. A Steelhead walked out and sent his Piplup at me, saying something around lines of how his mysterious armor allows him to use a Pokémon's power in any way he'd like._

_Within a couple of seconds, he retreated in defeat and left his Piplup in the plaza with us. Ravio began apologizing to Celebi for yelling earlier and Tanvir began to discuss what had happened with Kira. The two of them looked at me and muttered something about how they had no choice but to ask me for help. "Crimson…please. Can you help us?"_

"_Of course!" I offered them a reassuring smile. "I'm from a family that raises and takes care of Pokémon. I've been raised with them ever since birth. I'm not one to turn away from Pokémon." Celebi purred, rubbing its face against mine._

"_It's going to be difficult…" Tanvir warned._

"_Lup!" The Piplup behind me jumped up and down. I turned and felt a tremor of power wash over me. The look in its eyes was almost identical to that of Pichu's when he decided to join me on my journey to rescue Ben._

"_Looks like this Piplup wants to follow you," Kira murmured thoughtfully as I knelt down beside the penguin Pokémon and smoothed the feathers on its head. "Then it's settled. Celebi, take Crimson back to her time." However, before the legendary Pokémon could open a portal, a wise woman interrupted and warned me about the consequences of telling the people of my time about what was happening here._

"_Time itself cannot be turned," she warned, "You must not talk about our time to anyone else." I nodded. "This is a secret between the five of us."_

"_Celebi?" Ravio turned to look at the Pokémon. "Crimson, bye for now!" Celebi opened a golden portal and quickly pushed me through it._

_I landed with a soft thud on the porch of the old mansion, successfully startling Ukulele Pichu, who seemed to have been fretting for a long time. Celebi returned to being a small glowing orb and flew away, only to be chased for a short distance by an irritated Pichu carrying a blue ukulele._

"Crimson? Earth to Crrrimmmmssoooonnn~" Murph waved his hand in front of my face. I blinked at him, startled. "Ya know I'm starting to get used to that little nickname of yours. You're much more of a Crimson than a Summer." _That's exactly what Zenith told me while we were growing up…_ "Anyway, this interrogating business is taking longer than expected. Why don't you go report to Rand real quick?" I nodded and took out my Styler, preparing myself to call Raikou.

* * *

"Back already? What's that?" Murph asked, glancing at the report that I held in my hand.

"Rand's hand-written report," I replied, seating myself on one of the wooden posts on the dock. "I gave the book to Leanne so she could decode it. Hopefully, she'll have it done soon." Murph lifted up the pages of the report, skimming it lazily. "So how's the interrogation going? "

"Don't ask," Murph groaned, setting down the report. "Rand's pretty thorough even with a handwritten report like this." He waved it for me to see. I smiled wryly—I could only imagine how detailed his reports would've been if they were digital. "Since there's no spare antenna, this thing's gonna take a long time to fix… " he whistled slowly, leaning up against a wooden pole.

"Not bad, Ranger. Not bad." Startled, Murph and I looked up to see the red-eyed pincher hovering over us with his red Z. Z Flier. "Kidnapping Blue Eyes is pretty impressive." I felt the corners of my lips twitch in amusement. _Not when you have an extremely aggressive Pichu around_, I thought smugly. The pincher's eyes flickered in my direction and I quickly swallowed my amusement. Murph scowled beside me at the word "kidnapping".

"Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm the red leader of the Pinchers," the man stated proudly, landing on the ground before us. "My name is…" he posed, " Red Eyes!" Just as quickly and spontaneously as he had posed, Red Eyes had regained his composure with a little cough to hide his disappointment of not eliciting any awe from Murph and I. "Anyway…Blue Eyes is a valuable associate. I want her back as soon as possible. There is little chance that you'll just give her back so…Here's the deal. I'm offering a prisoner swap. I'll return Ben if you return Blue Eyes." My heart leapt for a second and Murph shot a warning look in my direction. _"You're like an open book when it comes to Ben, Crimson," Murph had tried to explain when I filled him on what happened on Booker Bridge. "I know you two are partners and that it's healthy that you care for each other like this, but the best thing to do is not to show anything. Keep your face straight. Be the master poker player."_

Red Eyes, however, narrowed his eyes when my facial expression didn't change. Without skipping a beat, his smirk returned. "There's no way you can say no," he stated smugly. "It's decided then. Meet me at Daybreak Ruins for the swap. However, only you and Blue Eyes can go," Red eyes pointed in my direction, much to Murph's protesting. His smirk had an extremely dark feel to it. "If you bring anyone else with you…" His red eyes looked over me lazily. "…then I can't guarantee Ben's safety." I mentally bristled at his words and without warning, Ukulele Pichu threw himself at Red Eyes, hissing and making a fuss. "Whoa! Huh, so you want to go to, don't you?" He looked disapprovingly over Pichu before turning his eyes back to me. "Fine. Take your Pokémon along. After all, a ranger without his Pokémon is pretty useless." He roared in laughter before sending a wink in my direction. "Laters."

Murph let out a flabbergasted noise and a feeling of disgust went through me. Ukulele Pichu, on the other hand, looked about ready to jump onto the Z.Z Flier and shock Red Eyes just as he had shocked Blue Eyes. After a couple of seconds, Murph sighed. "Well, at least Ben's safe. I'll go get Blue Eyes for the swap." I nodded and within a minute, Murph was marching Blue Eyes out of the Union. The blonde pincher looked furious.

"What's going on here?" She demanded as Murph ignored her. "I still have a lot to ask you!" I shot a look in Murph's direction. He scowled and a red twinge colored his cheeks.

"Stop asking about me already!" Murph snapped. "Some guy in red named Red Eyes or whatever offered to swap you with Ben. The place is Daybreak Ruins. I hate to admit it, but you're free! So hurry up nd go with Crimson before day breaks and our prisoner swap is ruined!" I laughed at his play on words and despite the dire situation, Murph gave me a grateful smile. Although his eyes were still laughing, his serious face stayed in place. "Alright! Time to go!" Blue Eyes looked too surprised to catch Murph's pun.

"Red Eyes…Tch, I'll have to owe him for this one…" She muttered as gratefulness and irritation flashed in her eyes. I studied her curiously and decided to keep a close eye on whatever she says to Red Eyes. _As much as I hate using people against one another, her relationship to Red Eyes can prove to be advantageous to us…_I shivered suddenly and Blue Eyes shot me a curious look. _But what was that wink for? Red Eyes gives me the creeps…_I glanced at Blue Eyes, who was now studying me with the same expression I had been watching her with. I raised an eyebrow at her and she flushed, embarrassed for being caught.

"Well, shall we?" I asked softly, nodding toward the direction of Daybreak Ruins.

"I suppose…" Blue Eyes grumbled.

* * *

Third Person, Ben's PoV

"Hey ranger," Ben tried his best not flinch as Red Eyes' breath fanned his ear. "Your ranger buddy's on her way to save you." A jolt went through his body. Crimson was safe? She was alive? He heard a chuckle in his ear.

"I see that look on your face. She looked pretty happy to hear you were alright too." Ben stiffened, quickly realizing his mistake. His reaction to Crimson's safety was a dead giveaway to how dependent they were of each other. Now, if the pinchers wanted to get to either of them, they'd just have to target one or the other. "She's pretty feisty, that one." Ben fought the anger that rose within him at Red Eyes' amused tone. _He's just trying to get to you_, he told himself, _Crimson is more than capable of defending herself from people like him. After all, she knows karate._ "Managed to catch Blue Eyes," Red Eyes mused. _Blue Eyes?_ "Well, Blue Eyes is going to be rejoining us soon. You'll be back with your partner soon enough." The pincher clicked his tongue a couple of times. "Part-ner-s wap," he sounded out, popping the "p".

"We'll be leaving now, so watch your step." That was the only warning Ben was given before he was roughly pulled to his feet. Ben groaned inwardly as his legs wiggled underneath him, threatening to give in. Sitting down for over days was a huge toll on one's body. He could almost see Red Eyes' smirk at his weak legs. Wincing as he took his first step in days, Ben prayed fervently. _Don't find the tracker, don't find the tracker,_ he chanted in his head. _Don't find the tracker, don't find— _"Let's go." Ben tried his best to hide his triumphant smile as he heard the door close behind him. _Yes!  
_

* * *

A/N: GO BEN! I have to say, there will be more tensions between Ben, Red Eyes, Blue Eyes, and Crimson. I hope all of you look forward to those...

R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

QUICK NOTE: The rating has been changed to M because I realized that it's going not going to be that...innocent. Of course, I'm not going to tell you guys (sorry) because that'll spoil the plot. Hope you guys like Red Eyes and Blue Eyes, 'cause they're going to pop up more often.

Hey guys! Being crazy and updating like usual. Actually, I just finished playing the game yesterday (although I haven't really done the time travel quests yet) and I was pretty disappointed that Ben went off to do some patrol while I was...kicking Lugia's ass, but...anyway...

Heads up, this is jut another one of those summary chapters but I did add in as much as I could to make it enjoyable. Hopefully my dry sense of humor appeals to your tastebuds. Or braintastebuds. Or sense. WHATEVER!

Note: I realized I didn't write this before, so...here's my disclaimer!

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING POKEMON ORIENTED. HOWEVER, I DO OWN THE PLOT OF THE STORY AND THE OOC TRAITS THE CHARACTERS HAVE, SEEING HOW SARCASTIC SUMMER (CRIMSON) IS.

* * *

If anything, I was definitely confused by Blue Eyes' actions. She was so defiant and bold when I had first met her on the wireless tower. Now she seemed…subdued. Just outside of Daybreak Ruins, we had been attacked by two of her subordinates. After their attempt to free her before the exchange failed, she became extremely quiet and docile. I couldn't help but throw her a concerned glance. By the time that we actually entered the ruins, she had asked to see my ranger pose. Soon after I did my pose, she admitted that she and Red Eyes had purposely created their own poses because of how they admired ranger poses. Then a much more melancholic look filled her eyes when she commented on how I willingly did as she asked although she was technically my captive.

When I looked at her, I didn't really see the sharp-tongued, sarcastic, and rude pincher that I met on the wireless tower. Instead, I saw a girl who wanted to do something great in her life and jumped at the first offer she got—regardless of the consequences. She caught me looking at her and her eyes steeled, as if challenging me to do something to comfort her. The way she held herself told me that if I tried to show my concern for her, she'd automatically take it as pity. Instead, I held my distance. I watched her coolly in an attempt to show her that if there was anything that I felt for her, it would be respect and understanding. The only problem was that I wasn't sure if she really received the message I was trying to send.

We were attacked by her subordinates a couple more times before we actually reached Red Eyes and Ben. Each group of pinchers that attacked us seemed to be extremely naïve and inexperienced. Although Blue Eyes easily became irritated with their attempts to take her away from me before actually going through a captive swap, she seemed so sentimental when the last group scurried away. "Young ones are so sweet," she had murmured with a distant look in her eyes. At that point I felt like I was looking at someone who was so used to lashing out at others and expecting them to obey her begrudgingly. And for the first time, I realized that she actually felt humbled by her subordinates' undying loyalty.

"What are you looking at?" She spat in my direction. I watched her for a couple of seconds, making sure that my emotions were well guarded. She seemed to deflate under my stare as her bristled form relaxed and she looked to the side. "Just hurry up already." I blinked at her and nodded before leading the way to the last room of the ruins.

When we entered, the area seemed to be deserted. I glanced suspiciously over in Blue Eyes' direction, wondering if she knew where Red Eyes really was. However, her irritation in discovering that we were the only two in the room showed me that she had no idea what was going on. "What? Red Eyes isn't even here?" She glared at her surroundings before her eyes grew wide. "Is that…an involith? I can't believe that there'd be one here…" Something let out a roar and Blue Eyes and I scrambled away from the stone monument. A large Pokémon flew in our direction, crushing the enormous boulder in front of us.

"E-E-Entei!" Blue Eyes gasped. Just as quickly as her shock had come, her anger replaced it. Huffing, she placed her hands on her hips. "Entei! You scared me by suddenly appearing like that!" Ukulele Pichu and I shared a look. She was aware that she was in the presence of a legendary volcano Pokémon, right? "We have an important negotiation to tend to. You've got no sense of tact!" I mentally face-palmed and Pichu looked like he wanted to slam his head against the wall a couple of times. _Talking smack to a Legendary Pokémon who looks like he wants to tear your innards out really isn't such a good strategy, Blue Eyes_, I thought.

Entei roared again, hackles rising. Pichu and I both took a step forward. "You wanna fight?" I turned my head to look at Blue Eyes. _Good timing, Entei¸_ I winced inwardly, _she's already out of patience._ "If you wanna piece of me, I'll take you on my Control Gauntlet…" _It's took dangerous!_ Before Blue Eyes could take out her Control Gauntlet, I leapt in front of her and threw my Capture Styler in the air.

I was slightly aware of Blue Eyes spluttering in the background at my sudden actions, but I was preoccupied with making sure that Entei's flames didn't end up engulfing my Styler, myself, Pichu, or Blue Eyes. "Entei," I gritted around my teeth as a flame licked up the side of my arm, "calm down…" My eyes locked on his and I tried my best to stay calm as pillars of fire circled around me. Ukulele Pichu was desperate "twang"-ing away on his ukulele, sending terrified glances in my way every couple of seconds. A flame burned the skin on my arm and I bit my lip to hold in a hiss of pain. "Entei." The legendary Pokémon froze and looked me straight in the eye. We stared at each other amidst the fire raging around us and I felt the tension in the air suddenly drop. Entei's hackles lowered and the fur on his shoulders relaxed. I let out a sigh of relief and barely managed to catch myself before my legs gave out from underneath me.

I shivered as I heard Voice Nav. alert me that it had registered Entei in the browser. The sweat that had beaded up due to my jumping around and being surrounded by flames quickly chilled my body. Suddenly, the cold disappeared and was replaced by warmth. I looked up and saw Entei leaning over me, sniffing my uniform curiously. My breath caught in my throat. The legendary Pokémon caught my gaze and huffed softly on my face. I reached out an arm and before I knew what I was doing, I was stroking the red fur on the side of Entei's face. My instinct barked at me and demanded that I retract my hand immediately, but feelings of flight disappeared the second that Entei pushed his face into my hand, nuzzling it.

I stared at him, entranced. This action was usually something that my brother's Rapidash did whenever I stroked her face. _"It's a form of friendship," my brother had told me. "It means that the Pokémon trusts you."_ "_Crimson!_" Suddenly, the trance was broken and Entei lifted his head with a growl. Blue Eyes had a mixture of horror and awe on her face and Pichu was dancing around her nervously. I walked toward her but Entei's roar made me turn back to face him. A bright light engulfed him and a glowering orange figure appeared.

"Please record the figure in your Styler," I heard Voice Nav. say. Tapping on the screen of the Styler, I quickly recorded the sign and watched as Voice Nav. confirmed the symbol. "Entei's sign has been registered!" Voice Nav. affirmed. Once the bright light faded, Entei watched me for a couple of seconds before leaping off into the distance with a roar.

"Crimson!" I turned to see Blue Eyes looking warily at me. A light flush dusted her cheeks and she threw her head to the side, refusing to meet my eyes. "T-thank you very much for saving me from a dangerous spot," she said haughtily. However, her eyes darted back to study the expression on my face. Blushing, she turned to face me. "That's what I'd like to say but you've also deprived me of a chance to prove myself." I couldn't help but smile at her words.

"I'm more than aware of how capable you are," I replied truthfully. She looked me straight in the eye, as if she doubted my words. She opened her mouth to say something but before she could get a single word out, the familiar humming noise of a Z.Z Flier filled our ears. On cue, Red Eyes and two other pinchers appeared before us, hovering overhead. The red-eyed pincher had a smirk on his face as he landed. "I'm impressed, Ranger!" He called out, addressing me. I watched him warily, but the person who leapt out from behind him made my heart skip a beat.

"Crimson!" Ben looked unharmed but his hands were obviously tied behind his back. Red Eyes ignored my partner and smiled approvingly at me. For some reason, the warmth that I had felt earlier with Entei faded and I was left again with a chill.

"You got Entei to leave and, that works out very well for us." His eyes studied me cautiously. "I give you my thanks." He nodded at the pinchers behind him. "One of you, go get that Emblem." Immediately one of them replied and headed for the stone monument behind Red Eyes. I tensed inwardly when I saw the subordinate pull out his Control Gauntlet. _Damn! I should've protected it!_ "Now, why don't we do the hostage exchange now? On my signal, both hostages will be released at the same time." He paused for a second, locking eyes with Blue Eyes. I glanced warily in her direction to see if she was planning anything. There was a good chance that she would make a run for it and Ben would be caught unaware. "No funny business," Red Eyes warned. His eyes narrowed, "three…two…one. Go!"

Immediately, Ben sprinted to my side and Blue Eyes dashed to where Red Eyes was waiting. Despite being tied up Ben reached my side just seconds before Blue Eyes was reunited with the pinchers. His brown eyes were sheepish when he looked up at me. "Sorry to be so much trouble…" I sighed fondly and smiled at him. _We'll talk later_, I nodded at him. His eyes steeled and he returned the gesture. Taking a pocketknife out of my pocket, I quickly cut his ropes loose.

"Red Eyes…" I turned my head and watched Blue Eyes' exchange with Red Eyes intently. "I caused a lot of trouble, didn't I?" What was that look on her face? It looked like she was both embarrassed and ashamed. But the way that she said her words reminded me of a child that had disappeared for an hour without telling her parents. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry." The look in her eyes was extremely apologetic and pleading. With a jolt, I realized the relationship between them. It was only up to Red Eyes' reaction in order for me to confirm it.

Red Eyes' expression softened. _Aha!_ I thought triumphantly. _They are in a relationship._ "Don't worry about it. It wasn't a big deal." I paused at the tone of his voice. The emotion in his voice was different from hers. Blue Eyes' emotions had been a mixture of shame, pleading, and embarrassment. If anything, she sounded like she had disappointed Red Eyes and even _shamed_ him. _She loves him_, I thought, _she's in love with him._ However, Red Eyes had a much more reassuring tone that didn't echo the feelings Blue Eyes had expressed for him. _It's obvious he cares for her,_ I mused, _but…is it romantic or familial?_ Red Eyes snapped his eyes in my direction and I immediately stopped staring. "Well now…the swap went as planned." He nodded approvingly. Behind him, the pincher working on the stone monument crushed the writing on the front.

"Our leader!" He called, "the Emblem is ours!" Red Eyes' eyes glittered.

"Great! It's time to leave!" He and the other pinchers leapt back onto their Z.Z Fliers. "Farewell, Rangers. We'll likely see you again. That is, if you can stay in one place for that long…" He smirked and tossed four Electrodes in our direction. Immediately, they began to glow, charging themselves and preparing to self-destruct.

"Crimson!" I turned just in time to see Ben push Pichu out of the way. The world around us faded in a sudden burst of light…

* * *

When my vision focused again, Ben was coughing the dust out of his lungs. With a shudder, he looked up and smiled at me. "Not the nicest guy in the world, is he?" I snorted with amusement and nodded. Ben's grin widened and his eyes softened. "I'm back, Crimson."

"Welcome back," I whispered as he reached for me. When he hugged me, a felt a rush of warmth go through my body, reminding me of the warmth that Entei had given me when I had finally conveyed my feelings of friendship to him. He gasped suddenly and pushed me away, his eyes suddenly alight with horror and remorse. I frowned at him and tried to move away, but his hands kept a firm grip on my shoulders.

"Crimson…When we were flying above Oblivia…" My heart clenched for a second as my memories of plummeting several thousand feet at once returned. "You protected me from his Plasma Cannon. Thank you…" He looked up at me guiltily. "I should've been the one to take the cannon."

"Don't say that!" My eyes widened at his words. "Ben, I don't regret jumping out in front of you!" He looked troubled but I gave him a firm glare. "Ben. It's not your fault. I chose to jump in front of you. What's past is past." He faltered then, but nodded.

"When I heard the Pinchers talking about how you survived…I was so relieved." The joking light returned to his eyes. "What are you make of, Crimson? Titanium?" He joked. I laughed and punched his arm affectionately. He looked at me innocently with his brown eyes. "So…is this a mission clear?"

"Indeed," I mused, eyes sparkling as the two of us did our respective poses. Behind us, I heard the familiar "twang" sound of Pichu's ukulele going off. Ben paused for a second and looked curiously at the yellow Pokémon.

"By the way, who's this guy?"

"He's Ukulele Pichu. He decided to become my partner Pokémon after all of his friends were taken away from Dolce Island." I rubbed one of Pichu's cheeks affectionately. The Pokémon purred at my touch. "He's coming with me to help free his friends."

"Speaking of partner Pokémon…Hey! They still have my Staraptor!" Ben shouted indignantly, a look of disbelief on his face. I couldn't help but chuckle—all this time and Ben was still an open book. He glanced in my direction with a cheesy grin on his face. "Oh well, we'll save him soon. Oh, and by the way, do you mind filling me on what happened?"

* * *

Ben's eyes hardened for a second. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" His cheery mood returned so quickly that I couldn't identify the emotions that had been on his face. "Don't worry; we'll get your friends back soon, Pichu!" He glanced back at me. "Oh, and by the way, I wasn't just sitting around like a captive princess or anything."

"Really now?" I teased. "You couldn't behave like a proper damsel in distress?"

"Damsel?" He snorted. "I'll show you damsel!" He tackled me and the two of us tussled for a couple of minutes, laughing as we went. Before long, both of us were out of breath and he had managed to pin me to the ground. His smile froze for a second and he cleared his throat, quickly scrambling off of me. "Anyway, on the first day I was captured, I managed to set up a tracking device. Took me a while though—especially when you're blindfolded and tied up. But here's the great thing—although I didn't get to see where I was, I definitely know where their base is now because of the tracking device." His smile faltered. "But…they broke my Styler. If we're going to find their base, we have to fix it." He looked thoughtful for a second. "Oh yeah! Did you meet the Area Ranger yet?" I nodded and Ben beamed. "Great! We can go borrow tools from him to repair my Styler.

I frowned for a second before I remembered Nema. "Actually, don't worry about repairing it yourself," I smiled at him, "I've got the best technician in all of Oblivia on my side." Ben's confused look merely added to my excitement. "You'll see," I promised him. He nodded although he didn't really seem convinced. Ben nodded toward the exit of the ruins and skidded to a stop.

"Crimson…" He looked at me with a lost look on his face. "That explosion blocked the exit…" I nearly choked on my own spit. What?! Ben looked conflicted. "What should we do? Are there any other exits?" I opened my mouth to reply, but Voice Nav. quickly interrupted me.

"A new sign has been recorded." Ben frowned at my Styler.

"Sign? What's that?"

"Well, you see, the technician I was talking about created a new program on my Styler that lets me summon Pokémon with their signs…"

* * *

Bens' eyes bulged in surprise and I tried my best not to laugh at him. "SERIOUSLY? THAT'S SO COOL!" I winced and he lowered his voice quickly. "You can call legendary Pokémon like Entei?" He glanced around himself and spotted something to his right. "Look! Do you think Entei could smash these boulders?" Seeing the doubting look on my face, he raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know Entei's song?" Ben sighed when he saw the confusion in my eyes. "_A giant boulder blocks the way. If you can pass, go ahead, I say. The massive rock says, full of sass, 'No one can move my hefty mass!' The massive boulder is just slow! For Great Entei, it's one blow._ Are you sure you haven't heard that song before?"

"I heard Rand sing part of Raikou's song, but never that one," I admitted. Ben looked slightly sheepish.

"Well, the only reason why I know it is because the Pinchers were singing it," he confessed. "Why don't you try summoning Entei?"

* * *

Before I knew it, Ben and I were leaping off of Entei's back and waving goodbye to the legendary Pokémon. "That. Was. So. Cool!" Ben wheezed between each breath. I smiled in agreement and the two of us ran into Tilt Village. The two of us rushed toward the entrance of the village in our rush to get to Rand's house so we could repair Ben's Styler. "Is that?" Ben skidded to a stop and the man in front of us turned around in confusion. Surprise lit up his face.

"BEN!" Murph bellowed just as Ben yelled, "MURPH?!" Before I could explain, Murph had already tackled Ben and was giving him a bear hug.

"You're okay! I'm so glad! You had me soooo worried!" He noogied Ben's head and I winced as his knuckles rubbed against Ben's scalp.

"Owoowowwwowowow!" Ben quickly wrestled himself away from Murph, but was delighted nonetheless. "What are you doing here in Oblivia?"

"Professor Hastings sent me on an errand. I came on The Union." Murph nodded toward the dock.

"The Union?" Ben looked confused. "Didn't it retire years ago?"

"Sure but it still works like new." Murph smiled appreciatively at the large ship. "It's sure a beauty to see…Oh! That's right! I have some good news! Booker managed to finish the bridge, so you can just walk over there now. So Murph, man of the sea, will meet you there!" He saluted and took off, running extremely quickly despite his rounded figure. Ben and I looked at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter. As Ben pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, he smiled at me.

"Murph never changes, does he?" He mused. "Let's hurry to Rand's house."

* * *

The second that we walked through the door, Murph proceeded to point out how much time it had taken us to get over here. "It's not my fault Ben decided to explore," I teased, shooting a look in his direction. My partner gaped at me but his eyes twinkled in amusement. Murph shook his head affectionately at us before turning back to Rand. The two of us rolled our eyes and headed for the table. Rand greeted me at the head of it.

"Welcome back, Crimson. This must be Ben, I presume." He nodded to Ben, who bowed. "Murph filled me in on the details. I'm Rand." Ben murmured his greetings. Rand turned to the blue haired woman standing by his side. "This is my wife, Leanne," he turned quickly to his other side, "and this is my daughter, Nema." Nema and Leanne quickly murmured their welcomes. Nema quickly rushed forward, her eyes hungry as she looked at Ben's Styler.

"Nice to meet you, Ben! You can leave your Styler maintenance to me!" Ben looked slightly overwhelmed and glanced at me for support. I smiled and mouthed, "Best technician". He gulped but nodded at me.

"Uh…Nema, right?" The blue-eyed girl nodded vigorously. "So you might be able to fix my Styler?"

"Fix it?" Nema looked mock offended. "I'll do more than fix it! I'll _improve_ it! Give it here!" Before Ben could even move to take it off, she had already snatched the Styler from its place on his wrist and ran off to her room, calling, "I'll be done in five minutes" over her shoulder. Ben gave me a bewildered look and I chuckled.

"That's Nema for you." Ben looked conflicted and winced every single time he heard a hammer come down from Nema's room. Of course, everyone else laughed along with me at his reactions.

* * *

"That's interesting," Rand mused, looking thoughtful after Ben finished his explanation of how he had managed to leave a tracking device in the place where he had been held captive. "A small space, tightly closed…a building of some sort?"

"I suppose," Ben replied as Nema reentered the room, looking satisfied as she reattached his Styler. He glanced down at it and did a double take. "WHOA! IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S BRAND NEW AGAIN!" When he raised his voice this time, I wasn't the only one who winced. He looked at Nema again with new eyes. "You really are the best technician in all of Oblivia," he whispered fervently. Leanne shot a questioning look in my direction and I shrugged sheepishly.

"Ben!" Rand was snapping furiously to regain my partner's attention. "What were they talking about?" Ben frowned as he tried to remember.

"It was something about…how the preparations for seizing Moltres were proceeding…"

"The Pinchers are trying to pinch Moltres?!" Rand looked horrified. Leanne, on the other hand, displayed her shock through a more concerned question.

"But what for?" She pressed. Ben shrugged.

"I don't know, but we can figure it out if we can figure out the location of their hideout and stop their plans." He glanced back at his Styler and pressed a couple of buttons. "It should be right about…" As Ben was scrolling through his archives, Leanne spoke up.

"As for the book that Crimson brought us—I've managed to decode some of it. I think it's related to the Pinchers' plan to pinch Moltres." Murph made a comment about how she should've been an archeologist and she sent an irritable look in his direction. "Anyway, the book talks about these mysterious Emblems called Involiths left behind on Monuments. Supposedly, these are the keys to opening the ancient gates." Rand frowned.

"Now that you mention it, the Pinchers only left with part of the monument in Rasp Cavern. They took the part that had a figure cared in it…Do you know where the ancient gate is?" He turned to Leanne. His wife shook her head. Ben and I shared a look.

"Well, wherever it is, Crimson and I are going to go find the hideout." Ben glanced at his Styler again. "The device says that it's on the Dangerous Cliff…" he trailed off, looking at me for confirmation. Rand nodded in my stead.

"You'll leave at once.

* * *

"I can't believe it. Blue Eyes…" Ben trailed off, looking absentmindedly at the hot cocoa in his hands. I bit my lip and dipped my head. After we rescued all of the Pokémon from the ship and returned them to Dolce Island, we had received a message from Blue Eyes talking about her removal from the administrative board of the Pinchers.

"_I thought this was going to be my way to glory," she had told us, "But I was wrong. As for saving my life and my subordinates', I'll tell you everything I know about Red Eyes' plan to go on Faldera Volcano._

"Guys! Faldera Volcano is coming up real soon! Get ready!" Murph called from the stern. Ben's brown eyes locked on mine.

"Let's go." He nodded.

* * *

"You did well," Rand tried to reassure us after our explanation of what happened on Faldera Volcano. "You protected Moltres and that was the objective of the mission." I tried to be persuaded, but something inside of me refused to acknowledge it as a mission clear. Ben, who was usually the optimistic one between both of us, sat with a solemn look on his face.

"But they only woke Moltres up. They didn't try to pinch it…" Ben pressed. "From what lower pincher said, their next target was Articuno. Too bad Red Eyes shut him up before he could say any more." My partner scowled uncharacteristically and fiddled with his gloves. Rand mumbled something about how he had heard of Articuno but never actually seen the legendary bird. If anything, this news seemed to make Ben's mood worse.

"The rug," Leanne said suddenly, looking at the material beneath our feet. Everyone looked up at her in surprise. Her blue eyes flickered to her husband. "You bought this for me on Sophian Island. The pattern…" She trailed off before grabbing one side of the table. "Crimson! Ben! Get the other sides!" The three of us lifted the table and pushed it in one of the corners of the room. Immediately, Leanne returned to her spot and crouched down, smoothing down the material with her hand. "This is Articuno's design. From what the weaver said, the Legend of Articuno has been passed down from generation to generation. That means…" She looked at us expectantly.

"…that they're the only ones who've heard of Articuno?" Ben finished uneasily. Leanne bit her lip and shook her head.

"…Articuno is their mascot?" Rand tried.

"Close…" Leanne chewed on her lip.

"The Sophian Island has some sort of connection to Articuno. If anything, it probably means that Articuno has gone to rest on that island." Everyone looked at me in surprise and Leanne nodded in agreement.

"I wouldn't go as far as to say that it's where Articuno has gone to rest, but…" Her blue eyes flashed. "You're definitely not off when you say that there's a connection between the rug and Sophian Island. You'll have to go immediately."

"Of course, but there are some problems. First, my Styler's broken. Second, Staraptor is exhausted." Ben blinked worriedly at his partner Pokémon.

"Nema can easily fix your Styler again," Rand replied, leaning against the wall. "But as for Staraptor…" He frowned. "For some reason, I haven't seen Staraptors hanging around lately…"

"Hey Rand, you here?" Burkhart appeared in the doorway, having a bit of difficulty squeezing through.

"Burkhart! What brings you here?" Rand rushed forward.

"Well…there are some suspicious looking pinchers hanging around Hinder Cape at the old storehouse," Burkhart licked his lips, frowning slightly, "They were keeping careful watch, so I could only watch from a distance. They must be up to something fishy, or else they wouldn't act so sneaky." Rand looked thoughtful for a second.

"Ben!" Startled, my partner raised his head at his name. "Stay here and watch over Staraptor. Nema'll take care of your Styler in no time. Crimson," he turned to me, "we'll have a look at the storehouse while Staraptor rests. We'll be back soon!" He called over his shoulder as he pushed me out the door.

* * *

"The Pinchers were holding the Staraptor of the area captive in there?" Ben's eyes widened at our report as we settle down for dinner. I nodded grimly before thanking Leanne, who was ladling stew into my bowl. Ben cast a slightly guilty look in Rand's direction. After all, this was the first night that Ben would spend at Rand's house. Despite our protests, he had refused to let us go out to rent out someone's guest bedroom to sleep in and buy our own dinner. In fact, he even threatened us to stay for dinner.

"Consider this your second home! Or third, if the Ranger Union is your second! Don't worry about food or shelter. We'll take care of you here." He had told us. Still, Ben and I were reluctant to accept his hospitality. He gave in with a sigh. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll let you guys repay me with only a percentage of your next month's pay. Otherwise, I'm not taking anything else." Ben and I had scrambled for numbers, offering extremely high percentages while Rand vetoed each once. As a compromise, we ended our offer at 10% of each of our accounts being given to Rand's family as a repayment for their kindness. This irritated Ben and I because we felt it wasn't enough and this annoyed Rand because he felt it was too much.

Rand noticed Ben's look and stared him down, as if challenging him to say something. Ben gulped audibly and turned to stammer his thanks to Leanne, who was now ladling stew into his bowl. "We'll leave tomorrow in the morning so we can get a head start," Ben informed Rand as soon as everyone sat down and began digging in.

"I'll wake up with you guys so I can start adding in more patrols," Rand looked up from his bread. "That incident with the Staraptors has convinced me to increase my patrols."

"Great! If you're willing, Crimson, would you like to help Nema and I after dinner to prepare food for tomorrow's adventures?" Ben looked conflicted, but I hastily agreed when Nema begged me with wide, teary doe-eyes.

* * *

"Weber's quite daring," Ben commented as the two of us met another dead end with the river. "He's definitely not the youngest person around, but he's still going out to check up on dangerous Pokémon. He's pretty impressive!" I glanced at him as we did a quick U-turn and headed in the other direction. After meaning Surpurna, a young woman with an affinity for bird Pokémon, and Kasa, a middle aged woman with a lot of sass, Ben and I were quickly informed of Weber the Weaver's location by a couple of elderly folks.

After meeting several dead-ends, Ben sighed. "Let's just call Raikou," he suggested. Frowning softly, I nodded and switched my Styler onto sign mode.

* * *

"_Quiet the_–" Ben grunted, "_Beauty, eh?_"

"_Pretty imp–_" I winced. "–_re_s_sive_." Suicune, still slightly agitated, seemed to take no notice in our predicament. Riding around on Raikou all day hadn't been the most comfortable thing in the world and now that we were on top of a legendary Pokémon that was less patient and familiar with us, riding was an even more painful experience. Both of us were already sore all over from Raikou's leaps over the river as we tried to navigate after the pinchers and protect Suicune.

Ben's arms tightened around me and I blushed despite the circumstances. He buried his head into my shoulder in an attempt to not get his jaw smashed during the rhythmic up and down movements. "_How–much_," Ben winced, "_further?_"

"_Not_," I grit my teeth, "_far._" It wasn't necessarily Suicune's fault for being so rough and inconsiderate—after all, he had just been attacked by a couple of arrogant Pinchers. We entered a familiar clearing and I tugged softly on Suicune's mane. _Stop!_ Immediately, the Pokémon slid gracefully to a stop, allowing Ben and I to shakily slither off of its back. It watched us for a few seconds, nuzzled my cheek in apology, and took off. Wincing, I got to my feet, giving Ben an empathetic smile as he did the same.

"Help!" Both of us looked up in surprise before our gazes traveled to a middle-aged man standing alone on one of the paths. He didn't seem to be wearing a Pincher's uniform. Ben nodded at me before cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Would you happen to be Weber?" He called over the river. The man looked surprised.

"You happen to know who I am? I have been making rugs for over 30 years." He paused. "I am the weaver of rugs, Weber!" He suddenly looked panicked. "Well, it's great that you know me but uh…Could you help me out of here?"

"Of course!" Ben called across the river. He looked at the Styler in my hand and gave me the _do we have to_ look. I gave him a sympathetic smile and tried not to think of my sore rear as I started up sign mode to summon Suicune again.

* * *

"Weber's really nice," Ben whispered, wincing as he settled himself down next to me. I smiled at him in agreement—Weber had offered us lodging for the night so we wouldn't have to fly all the way back to Rand's house or spend money on a hotel. Ben quickly let out a hiss of pain as when his back collided with the wall. My eyes widened.

"I'm sorry! Do you want me to go on the floor?" Although Weber offered us his guest bedroom, there was only one bed. Both of us were ridiculously sore and refused to let the other take the floor. In the end, we ended up taking the bed together.

Ben scowled at me. "If anyone's taking the floor, it's going to be me!" I glared back at him.

"I'm well aware that riding is much more painful for a male than it is for a female," I whispered back, already getting ready to move my sleeping bag to the floor. Ben let out a growl and his arm shot up, grabbing me around the waist and dragging me down beside him. I let out a cry somewhere between a whimper and a squeal and clapped my hands over my mouth before pushing at Ben's chest.

Automatically, his grip on me tightened and I found myself hugged tightly against his chest. I let out a little huff and his arms loosened but stayed tight enough to ensure that I couldn't escape. "Look Crimson, you're the one that's been doing most of the work these days. I'm not going to argue with you about whether I should take the floor or not. There's plenty of room on the bed if we sleep like this," he grit behind his teeth, obviously trying his best not to move. "You deserve to sleep on this bed so much more than I do, but since neither of us want to let the other sleep on the floor, let's leave it at this. Alright?"

I nodded and lifted my head to say goodnight. His head shifted so I could raise mine and I opened my mouth but nothing came out. Instead, Ben and I stared at each other as our faces were mere inches away from each other. I felt my cheeks heat up and I was partially aware of Ben's heart rate speeding up underneath the palm of my hand. "G-goodnight," I stammered before quickly ducking my head down—and unfortunately—into the crook of his shoulder. If anything, my blush deepened at the intimate gesture. Ben stayed silent for a couple of minutes before he tucked my head under his chin. Even though my heart was fluttering madly and my body filled with adrenaline, my body's urges took over and my eyelids drooped over my eyes without warning.

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

When I saw Crimson again, my heart leapt out of my chest. She was alright. Red Eyes had told me that she was banged up and sporting injuries from her fall, but she looked perfectly fine for me. Well fed, clean, healthy—although she was a bit dusty from her earlier capture on Entei. Speaking of which, I can't even believe how talented she was.

Murph had given me hints about what Crimson had gotten on the entrance exam. He said she had one of the highest scores in all of Ranger Union Trainee history! Now, watching as she captured Entei, I couldn't help but believe it. All this time, I thought I was the better and I was the one to be relied on. Yet all this time, it'd always been _Crimson_ I relied on.

But there was something concerning about what happened just after Crimson managed to befriend Entei. When she fell to her knees—out of exhaustion or fear?—Entei didn't disappear. Instead, he leaned over her and stayed there for a couple of seconds. In fact, he didn't move until Crimson turned around to look at Blue Eyes. Then he roared and disappeared in a flash of light. I looked at Red Eyes, who was holding me in place with one hand. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were serious. A muscle in his neck twitched. I quickly looked down before he could catch me staring.

I knew Crimson was good with Pokémon—after all, her parents raised and bred them—but even during our examinations, she always made captures look so easy. Her patience with Pokémon was amazing—but sometimes her patience with people could be better. But to be so close with Entei—a legendary Pokémon at that? She must have an affinity for all Pokémon. It was the only logical explanation.

By the time that I had managed to scramble to her side and Blue Eyes to Red Eyes', I noticed that she only paid a couple of seconds of attention to me before watching the pinchers intently. If anything, her gaze seemed to be completely focused on Red Eyes. The emotion in her eyes was indescribable, but it was anything but anger or irritation. My chest ached for a second and disappeared before I could realize why my heart clenched. _Probably adrenaline or happiness_, I decided.

* * *

I coughed awkwardly on our way to Rand's house. Crimson shot a concerned look in my direction, as if she believed that I still had dust in my lungs. After all, that's what I told her after I cleared my throat the first time after Murph ran off ahead. Although I was trying my best not to remember what happened, I could still imagine Crimson's body pinned underneath mine, her eyes sparkling with—amusement? Joy? Even…love?

**_No Ben, you're going off tangents!_** I told myself irritably. **_What you share between Crimson and yourself is strictly professional!_** **Professional in the…good way?****_NOT LIKE THAT!_** I groaned as two voices began to fight in my head—reason VS logic. If anything, I could almost picture two little versions of me hovering over my head with either an angel costume or a devil outfit. The one that I deemed as instinct wiggled his eyebrows suggestively while the other—stuck as reason, I suppose—flushed bright red and stammered his protests. **Haha, Reason~**_** You're flushed **_**Crimson**_**,**_Instinct teased.

"Ben?" I snapped out of my trance and stared at Crimson, who looked slightly…weirded out. The two of us stared at each other like that for a little bit before she opened her mouth again. **Sweetheart, that mouth looks delic—**

**_YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH RIGHT NOW!_** Reason demanded, the red flush now taking over his entire body. Instinct cackled and bent over laughing. "Are you okay? You were muttering to yourself. Something about professionalism…?" I felt my face heat up like a furnace.

"Uh-gah-yeah! I'm, uh, talking about, uh…" My eyes strayed everywhere except for Crimson. "…how my uh little brother was thinking about being a lawyer! And…uh, my mom told him to stop being so childish because professionalism is the first step to getting into law school!" I stammered frantically, desperately trying to cover up my earlier words. Crimson furrowed her eyebrows at me as if she didn't believe me, but she said nothing as she turned her attention back to Ukulele Pichu and started humming along to the song he was strumming.

_**Nice going**,_ Reason groaned.

**I may be your instincts, but I don't control your mouth!**Instinct gwaffed, rolling on his back and holding desperately onto his sides. **_SHAAAADDDDAAAPPP!_** Reason roared. "Today is not my day…" I grumbled underneath my breath as I stalked after Crimson, who was now a couple of steps ahead of me.

* * *

Nema was…interesting. If anything, I wasn't used to having such assertive women ripping my Styler clean off of my wrist. Leanne was kind and generous. She was intelligent, benevolent, and very reasonable. Rand even more so. Well, at least on the generous side. "75%," I suggested as Crimson, Rand, and I gathered around the table to debate on what percentage he agreed to accept from our monthly pay. His dark eyes narrowed with irritation.

"1%," he shot back. Crimson's face was hilarious. Her jaw looked like it was going to go through the center of the earth with how low it was. "You guys are all-rounders. That means that your pay is extremely high. I'm not looking to make more money from you guys than the money necessary to repay me for lodging and food—which I had offered to wave."

"50%," I tried again, since he vetoed Crimson's offers of 65% and 55%.

"2%." He shook his head. Once again, the uncertain look on Crimson's face returned.

"20%," I offered, when Rand once again rejected Crimson's offers of 40% and 30%.

"3%," he hissed, looking extremely irritated by our haggling. Crimson looked extremely fed up, so I tried for another percentage.

"15%?" Rand scowled at the percentage I offered.

"10% and that's it!" Crimson snapped, startling both of us. She glared furiously at Rand. "I'm offering you 10% as the minimum. If you disagree, I will raise the percentage. There will be no lowering and I will not take any objections. After all, it is my money and I will make it _impossible_ for you to transfer the money that I'm giving you back to my account. If you don't want to feel like you're taking advantage of us, take the extra money and keep some of it in case of emergencies. As for the rest, donate it to Pokémon foundations or to the islands! Regardless of whether I like it or not, you're doing too much for me for too little. I am giving you 10% and that's that!" With a huff, she shot a death-glare at the area ranger, as if challenging him to object to her final deal. "And mind you, 10% is not enough from one month! 10% from three months or else I'm raising it."

"I'm in." I nodded at Crimson, who ignored my gesture as she kept her eyes locked on Rand's. "10% is the lowest I'm willing to give you." Rand, now conflicted by the threat of us raising the percentage of us, looked helplessly at his wife. She shrugged at him and nodded at us.

"Crimson's reasoning makes sense," she offered. If anything, Rand looked even more torn.

"Hey papa, the money could pay for my experiments," Nema suggested. Crimson immediately stood up a bit taller, looking much more pleased with Nema's answer.

"Exactly. You see, you don't have to pay for Nema's experiments. If anything, the cuts from our paychecks can pay for her tuition if she wants to end up doing work for the union." Crimson shot a desperate look in my direction as Rand failed to respond.

"Just like Crimson said!" I nodded in agreement. "You see, if we're the ones paying for her, we'll be happy that our debt is settled and you won't have to worry about taking care of Nema! You can focus more on helping around in the area." However, as I was saying this, my mind was spinning. What? When did Crimson get this good at talking? I was always the sociable one of the two. _**Crimson usually got lower marks when it came to public speaking or being sociable**,_ Reason mused.

**Well, she ain't that same little girl you knew a couple a days ago. She's a feisty woman now**, Instinct snorted. **Get used to it, ranger.** I could only watch as Rand finally gave in to our percentages and Crimson smiled at me in triumph.

* * *

Crimson's breath evened out and fanned over my throat. I swallowed awkwardly, still unable to fall asleep due to our position. Crimson had curled up into me, her legs threading through mine as her body shifted to make herself more comfortable. Her arms were curled up against my chest and her head was tucked into the crook of my neck. One arm was hooked around her waist and the other acted as her pillow. _Damn_, I groaned, _Crimson has no idea what she does to me._ I paused for a second. I_ have no idea what she does to me._ Her scent overpowered me.

_And Weber just didn't have another bed_, I thought bitterly, letting out a sigh. Immediately, I froze when Crimson stirred in her sleep. Her blue eyes opened in slits as she blinked sleepily at me. "Ben?" She slurred softly.

"Mhmm?" My heart began to race again. She smiled sleepily at me before nuzzling the skin on my neck. I shivered.

"Mmm…stupid partner," she mused, burrowing her head further into the crook of my neck. I blinked in a mixture of surprise and pain. Stupid? "I missed you…" I felt her eyelashes flutter once and my earlier indignation was quickly replaced with a new feeling—one that tickled at my heart and stirred within the pit of my stomach. "…so much." My eyes widened as I finally realized what emotion I felt for Crimson at that moment. _Desire_.

* * *

A/N: Phew! This one was a long one! I think I actually started this yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning. Hopefully you guys will pardon the grammatical/spelling errors made in this one. I don't really have a Beta who edits this and I'm a bit too lazy to reread it and re-edit it.

Actually, I screwed up when it came to Ben's part. Halfway through his PoV, I realized that I was writing in first person rather than third person, which is what happened in the earlier chapters. And then without realizing, I created two personas-Instinct and Reason-to pester Ben to death.

_Italics_ means that Ben is thinking (in his PoV, of course. If it's not his PoV, it's Crimson's thoughts).

**_Bold Italics_** means that Reason is thinking/saying something.

**Bold** means that Instinct is talking/thinking something.

And don't worry about that key, guys, I'll have it posted on every chapter to come since these two were born in this one.

R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys! As promised, the next chapter will be the last chapter that will actually be summarizing parts of the game! I have to admit, there is about two paragraphs worth of boring summary in here (I tried my best to compile as much of the game as possible without actually making the story really crappy).

As a quick heads up, you may be extremely irritated with Crimson in this chapter. If you really want to try understanding how she feels, try RPing/reading aloud the scene. It might be awkward, but I usually do that to understand the feelings of the characters. It's also pretty dramatic at this point, I mean, BAM BAM BAM with events!

...Forget I even said that. Anyway, here's your key to the thoughts/words as promised:

_Italics _means Ben/Crimson is thinking. There is a quick heading that tells you if it's Ben speaking or not. For every single chapter (unless noted at the VERY BEGINNING), Crimson will start off from her PoV. Afterwards, it's Ben's (it'll be in the left hand corner just under a page break) turn.

**_Bold Italics_** means that Reason (Ben's voice of reason) is talking.

**Bold** tells you that Instinct (Ben's instinct) is speaking. It is highly improbable for me to create Instinct and Reason for Crimson as well.

Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN POKEMON.

Enjoy!

...CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP! I REALIZED THAT UNDERLINES DON'T SHOW UP! REASON IS NOW DISPLAYED IN _**BOLD ITALICS**_!

* * *

"I-I-It's f-f-f-freezin' c-c-cold up h-here…" I growled, shivering as I rubbed up and down my arms. Ben cast a sympathetic look in my direction, but he was no better off. Well, at least he had at least five inches more of fabric covering up his legs. "S-s-stupid ran-anger unif-f-forms…" I scowled as we raced up the snowy slope.

"Th-those P-P-Pinchers made it w-w-worse with those av-av-alanches…" Ben shielded his eyes with his hand. "Gog-ggles d-d-don't w-w-work ag-g-ainst snow…" Both of us shot envious looks at Pichu, who was happily skipping up the slope without a care in the world. "W-what I w-w-wouldn't give t-t-ta be a P-P-Pokémon…" I snorted at this.

"F-f-fetch, m-mutt," I joked. Ben shot a glare in my direction. He then pointed to a nearby cave and the two of us dashed in, exhausted by the Pinchers that challenged us on our way here and the irritated Snovers who threw ice at us.

"N-not f-f-unny," he hissed as his breath turned white in the air. I let out a dry laugh before slipping on the ice and landing hard on my rear, letting out a pained groan. Ben, who had looked up just in time to see it, burst out laughing. I glared at him and tried to stand up. He started laughing again when I failed again and again, my rear end becoming sorer and sorer as each attempt failed. After a little bit, I was just fed up. Pichu, who had joined in on the giggles on my first slip, slid over to me and offered me a hand. I smiled at him and watched as he demonstrated how to get up.

I turned so I was on my hands and knees before planting one foot down and trying to get up that way. Once again, another failed attempt. Ben's laughter irritated me so much that I was through with him. As my eyes began to fill up with tears, I grabbed a handful of ice, ripped off my glove, stuffed it with the frozen water, and chucked it as his face. He looked up just in time to have it hit him directly in the face. I smirked smugly despite the anger brewing within me. Ben looked at me with a scowl and I glared back at him, trying hard not to let my tears trail down my face. In this kind of weather, they'd freeze and I'd I have some solid tears on my face. With a loud "hmph!", I tried again and nearly smashed my head against the ice. This time, however, Pichu was behind me and quickly steadied me on my feet.

If they were to make our journey on the ice worse, agitated Pokémon attacked us and it took all of my control not to start screaming and throwing things at them. By the time Pichu and I had reached the other side where our feet met solid ground again, I cursed and rubbed at the tears that spilled down my face. Now I was left with a douchebag partner, a sore rear from riding that was even more sore now that I'd fallen on it a couple hundred times, and a whole lot of anger. Footsteps told me that Ben was approaching and I whipped around, already at the very edge of my control. Instead, a Walrein towered over me and I quickly grabbed my Styler and initiated a capture.

Sniffling, I sent different Pokémon to convince the Walrein that I was not a threat. They hesitated because of my anger, however, and fled after the ice Pokémon threw attacks at them. I tried to convey my friendship but my anger left me in a red haze. Before I knew it, an ice ball struck my hip and sent my flying against the walls of the cave. I let out a scream of pain and anger as I stood up and faced the Walrein again on shaky legs. Trembling, I held up my Styler as my only weapon. Walrein roared and lunged at me, maws gaping as it charged. There was a flash of blue and yellow before I saw Pichu jump in front of me, his arms spread in a protective stance. Immediately, my hand shot out. I was not going to let Pichu get hurt because of my carelessness.

Suddenly, a swirl of blue appeared and the Walrein stopped in his tracks. It blinked at me and then waddled away as if nothing had happened. Ben watched me with concerned eyes and offered me his hand. Breathless, I stared at him as the adrenaline in my veins turned to pure rage. How _dare_ he? When my pride was being torn and bruised earlier on the ice, he laughed at me and made no move to help. Now my dignity as a ranger was being taken away from me. I prided myself in being able to communicate with Pokémon so easily. I prided myself because even if Ben were to fail, I would be behind him to support him at any time. And now I was being supported by him.

Now, even as I stared at him, I was unable to live with my pride so wounded. I raised my hand and slapped his away, glaring at him behind tears as I panted. A myriad of emotions crossed his face. Anger. Shock. Pain. "You," I breathed, "are _despicable_." My parched throat clenched up in protest as I tried to swallow. "When I needed you to help me, you laugh? When I try to do my job, you shame me?" I stared at him, shaking my head slowly. "No." Rage flickered in his eyes and he tried to take a step forward, his eyebrows furrowed in anger.

"_NO!_" I screamed, sweeping out my arm and startling him. He stared at me, disbelief and pure anger filling his eyes. "I," I croaked, "am done. I have been _shamed_, _mocked_, and _subjected to you_. I was happy to stand behind you and watch your back, but now _I am done!_" Tears streamed down my face as I stared at him, shaking. This was it. The wall that I built around myself, promising that I was merely a spectator and never a victim, was crumbling. "This isn't a partnership," I whimpered. "It's always been _me_ following after _you_!" I paused to take a breath. "And when I need you most you're not there." My anger crumbled and now my vulnerability was showing. "I'm _human_, Ben. I have shame. I can be hurt too. Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Why is it so difficult for you to see the humor in things?" He roared, startling me. I flinched and withdrew as he advanced. "I try to be funny. I _try _to live with your sarcasm. I _try so fucking hard_ to be optimistic when the world is not!" I shivered as the adrenaline faded in my body and new tears sprung up in my eyes. _Damn,_ I thought bitterly, _I will not play the submissive woman. I. Will. Not. Waver._ "And if you can't live with it then I won't! From now on, _we're not partners_!" He spat, his face inches from mine.

A flicker of anger ignited the remains of my dignity. "Fine," I whispered, searching his eyes. All I saw was rage. I closed my eyes and swallowed before looking at him in the eyes. "So be it," I growled. The anger in his eyes didn't waver as he held his ground. More like, stood _my _ground.

"Tch." He turned his head away and stormed into the next room. I slid down the wall and sat there, dazed, while Ukulele Pichu scrambled onto my lap. He tried to comfort me, nuzzling my neck and licking the tears off of my face. I looked at him helplessly.

"This is all my fault," I croaked before my resolve crumbled and I sobbed into my hands. "It's all my fault…"

* * *

"What's happened to you two? You aren't usually this quiet…" Murph looked worriedly at the two of us. Ben ignored him and was helping Rand back onto his feet. I shifted from side to side nervously and said nothing. The well-rounded man frowned at us but didn't pry. We had just returned from our mission, partially disheartened by the fact that Red Eyes still managed to awaken Articuno. However, I managed to man up before then and challenge his Typhlosion before Ben could even blink. The tension between Ben and I was so obvious that even Red Eyes pointed it out. The flight back had been drowned in silence and even when we arrived at Rand's house to see the area ranger knocked out on the floor, the two of us refused to talk to one another.

"Nema…Ugh…Leanne…" Rand blinked dazedly before leaping to his feet. "Nema! Leanne! A group of pinchers came and knocked me out! They took them!"

"Slow down, Rand," Ben soothed as Murph and I exchanged startled looks. "Calm down and explain what happened.

* * *

"Crimson, Ben, please. Go and save my daughter and Leanne. I'll be right behind you. Where they went is up by Silver Falls." Rand winced as Murph sat him down on a chair. "If you go North of Aqua Resort, there's a river. Silver Falls is just upstream that river." He looked up at us and a confused look appeared on his face. "No…I'll go."

"Rand!" Murph tugged insistently on his arm, horrified.

"I can't trust these two to do it!" Rand snapped at Murph. Immediately, Ben's temper flared and I became irritated.

"Why not?" Ben demanded.

"Because the tension between you and Crimson is obvious!" Rand yelled. Both Ben and I flinched. The area ranger leered at both of us. "How can I trust you two to go out and save my family if you can't settle the problems between you two? I don't know what happened on Sophian Island before you came back, but I know that the two of you, as you are right now, are incapable of saving my family!" Murph gave us a disbelieving look before quickly strengthening his resolve.

"Well then, we'll just have to trust them to solve it before they go and save Leanne and Nema. Now Rand, you're going to stay here whether you like it or not!" Murph grabbed the area ranger by the shoulders and pinned him to the chair. "Go, you two!" He shot us an irritated glare. "And settle your differences before Rand gets both of you in a headlock!"

* * *

"Get on, Ben." I stared at my partner as he looked in the opposite direction. Suicune hummed patiently and Pichu looked curiously over at my partner. "We need to save Nema and Leanne." Ben looked at me, annoyance written all over his face.

"Why should I work with you? You're not my partner," he sneered. My temper flared.

"Will you stop being so goddamned inconsiderate?" I leapt off of Suicune and stared at him. "Nema and Leanne are in trouble. I am more than willing to give you a temporary truce in order _to save their lives_ instead keeping them in the hands of those Pinchers." I hesitated for a moment and then swallowed my pride. I reached out a hand in an offering of peace, as he had done earlier on in the cave. "Ben. Don't do it for me. Don't do it for anyone else but for Nema and Leanne themselves." Ben looked at me warily, as if he didn't trust me.

My heart clenched. It was only yesterday that we laughing along with one another and watching out for each other. Now it was like we were archenemies. "Fine." His eyes narrowed as he grabbed my hand and shook it. "But only for Nema and Leanne."

* * *

"Head for Mount Layuda immediately." Leanne's eyes flashed with urgency.

"Roger!" Ben and I answered before running outdoors and jumping onto our Staraptors. Pichu clung onto me as we rose above the clouds and headed straight toward Mt. Layuda, A flash of red and five green Z.Z Fliers zipped past me in a different direction. In front of them was the same red and white Pokémon that I had saved the first day that I had arrived at Oblivia. With a quick message to Ben, I urged my Staraptor after them.

"HOLD UP, PINCHERS!" I heard Ben roar behind me. Startled, all five Pinchers turned around in surprise and the Pokémon they were chasing disappeared in the clouds. Immediately, three of them departed and headed straight after the fleeing Pokémon. "It's Latias!" Ben's voice came through the earpiece attached to the side of my goggles. "We can't let them catch her!" The two Pinchers who remained to delay us were beaten within seconds and we quickly caught up to the other three. As we had done to their defeated partners, we had defeated them in an aerial capture and they fled in different directions. "I wonder where Latias landed," Ben murmured through the headphones. "Let's get Purple Eyes first."

"Roger," I replied. I chewed on my lip as we turned around and headed back toward our earlier target. Ben might've spoken to me now, but it was purely due to the situation. He wasn't talking to me in order to reconcile. He spoke to me in order to protect Latias. As we neared our destination, the clouds around us darkened and the threatening rumble of thunder filled our ears. I swallowed and glanced at my Styler for reassurance. Just before we left, Nema had powered up our Stylers and increased the charge level. Pichu let out a yelp and I looked up just in time to see a lightning bolt tear across the sky.

Immediately, the Staraptor beneath me balked. "Whoa!" I heard Ben cry as his partner Pokémon began panicking. "Staraptor, calm down!" Both Pokémon ignored our pleas and continued to flutter wildly, completely terrified of the flashing lightning. "Damn! It looks like we won't be able to keep going," Ben grunted as my Voice Nav. began speaking.

"Extreme Danger! Extreme Danger!" I grit my teeth as I turned my Staraptor into a full upside-down loop to avoid a bolt of lightning.

"We have to go!" Ben called. I nodded and was about to tell my Staraptor to dive when Voice Nav. spoke up again.

"Picking up Latias' signal head. Repeat. Picking up Latias' signal ahead."

"What? In this kind of thunderstorm?" Ben yelled. The two of us struggled for a bit longer, but the Staraptor beneath me started bucking frantically. "We can't stay! Let's go back to Rand's house!" I nodded and the two of us quickly urged our Pokémon to go through the clouds above us.

* * *

"Tilikule Island?" Leanne arched an eyebrow at us.

"Home of Latias," Ben affirmed. He shot a glance in my direction. "Well, at least where the stone monument stands. We have to go and activate these tiny little disks in order to figure out the picture on the stone face of the monument. It's probably going to be a Pokémon sign."

"Latias? Why do you need Latias?" Murph looked at us with bewilderment.

"Because when we were heading for Mount Layuda, our Staraptor were terrified by the lightning. Voice Nav. picked up Latias' signal and we caught a glimpse of it flying between the clouds. It seemed to handle the lightning just fine." I nodded to affirm Ben's words. "We're hoping to gain Latias' help so that we can finally get to Mount Layuda."

"Then what are you waiting for? Get on it!" Murph shooed us out of the house.

* * *

_Once again, in a slightly awkward position with ex-partner Ben_, I thought to myself as I clung onto Latias' shoulders. After running all around Oblivia for the five different monuments, Ben and I spoke a total of ten words to one another. And that included every time that Pinchers came to challenge us about our actions. After an aerial fight with Latias, I managed to record her sign in my Styler and immediately summoned her so that we could head straight for Mount Layuda.

Since there was only one Latias and both our Staraptors were useless when it came to the lightning clouds of the island, Ben was stuck with me on Latias. And if to make things worse, Latias seemed to only tolerate Ben for my sake. When I summoned her, the first five minutes were spent in her trying to get to know me, despite my protests and urgency. She nuzzled, cuddled, and chirped at me while avoiding Ben at all times. She seemed to be irritated when Ben prepared to mount her first so my ex-partner quickly clambered off and got on her after I did. But even then, it took a couple of minutes to soothe her before Ben could actually clamber on without her bucking him off or turning to nip at him.

Whenever Ben was tossed off of Latias, he seemed to me watching me suspiciously whenever I ran over to him. I ignored those looks, of course, because I wasn't one to laugh when people got injured. Not to mention, my rear end was sorer than ever so the pain was keeping me from cracking jokes or laughing at Ben's failed attempts in getting Latias to like him. "If we caught Latios instead, he might like me more," Ben had grumbled after being driven off Latias' back for the fifth time. The legendary Pokémon glared at him as if to say, _don't count on that_.

Finally, we were flying toward Mount Layuda and Ben had his arms around my waist like he usually did whenever we were on one of the legendary dogs. I never really paid attention to him then, but after having that fight, the ride was much less comfortable than it usually was—and this was even when the bumps of bounding up and down were gone. The ride, as expected, was in silence all the way up to the point in which we saw our first lightning bolt on Latias.

I had flinched and Ben's grip on my waist tightened as Voice Nav. began to speak up. "Extreme danger! Extreme danger!"

"Crimson!" I could barely hear Ben over the sound of the wind and the thunder as Latias immediately began speeding up when I squeezed her sides with my legs. "Even Latias won't be able to escape unharmed. Avoid the lightning at all costs!" _Exactly fifteen words from ex-partner Ben, _I thought to myself, _but then again, who's counting?_

"Alright, we got this, Latias." I growled, leaning forward. Her head jolted as if she were nodding. Immediately, my riding instincts took over. My brother had often taken me on rides on his Rapidash. _Surely riding Latias and leading her through the clouds shouldn't be too different._ It was a chance I'd have to take. I squeezed her sides as we wove from side to side and went upside-down.

* * *

"_Crimson!_" I was faintly aware of Ben's cry as Latias continued flying, shooting a concerned glance back at me. I winced when I looked at her wings, feeling a wave of guilt wash over me. There were charred areas were the skin had been burnt.

"I'm sorry, Latias," I whispered as I leaned forward, trying to focus. The skin on my arm throbbed and I grit my teeth. "I was careless that time."

* * *

I struggled to breathe as Latias dropped us off onto the island. Immediately, Ben's arms circled around me and I found myself pressed up against his chest. "Oh God…Crimson…" His voice quavered as he drew back and studied the skin on my arms with a horrified expression on his face.

"S'okay," I mumbled, hissing in pain as he tenderly touched charred layer of skin. "Latias took most of the blows." I blinked dazedly, Ben's face blurring in my eyes.

"Here." He held a bottle of water up to my lips. I blinked at him and then proceeded to sip the cool liquid within. After a couple more sips, my vision cleared and the pounding in my head faded away. I glanced at the skin on my arms and grimaced, automatically reminded of the wounds on Latias' back and wings. I had been too careless in my flying.

Ben automatically took my reaction in a different way. "Don't worry, it'll heal," he cooed, brushing my hair away from my face. I stared at him with confusion. Why was he being so caring and tender now? He studied my face and remorse filled his eyes. "I thought I lost you the moment the first lightning bolt hit you," he murmured, his thumb circling patterns on my cheek. His brown eyes met mine, somber and apologetic. "I'm so sorry for laughing on the mountain." I blinked and realized that he was talking about the snowy mountain where Articuno had rested. "I…I don't know what overcame me." He shook his head slowly, as if he couldn't recall. "I knew I should've been helping you, but…" He blinked blankly at me. "I don't know. And I'm sorry for yelling at you. I shouldn't have ended our partnership."

"No, no, no, Ben!" I stared at him in disbelief. How could he take the blame for it? "_I _lost my temper and it's _my_ fault. I should've just brushed it off and laughed along with you."

"Well I know you're sarcastic. I shouldn't have blown up." I blinked at him, about to protest and then realized that both of us would continue in denial.

"But…you look alright to me." I frowned, looking him over. Ben blinked at me and laughed, realizing that I was referring to his earlier comment.

"Mmm, alright then," he hummed happily pressing his forehead against mine. My breath caught in my throat then as my eyes flickered to his lips before meeting his eyes. The amusement in his eyes died out quickly and was replaced with a softness I couldn't explain. He leaned in and our breaths mingled. My heart thudded louder as my eyelids began to close, lips twitching in anticipation.

"Twang~" Immediately, the trance was broken. Ben flushed and began stammering as he looked from side to side for the origin of the noise. I sat there and slowly felt the heat rush into my face. _Oh my god…_ I thought, clasping a hand over my mouth. _Did we…almost kiss?_ The thought of it made my cheeks heat up even more. I had never thought of Ben that way before, and now? I wasn't so sure anymore. I opened my mouth and closed it, trying to think of something to say but nothing was coming out. I lifted my eyes to meet Ben's again and if possible, his cheeks flushed even more.

Something soft and yellow clambered up onto my lap and butted my chin affectionately. I looked down to see Pichu, who had his head cocked innocently to the side, as if he hadn't just played his ukulele and startled Ben and I. I spluttered then and started laughing, holding Ukulele Pichu to me as I got my giggles out. Ben, who seemed to have recomposed himself a little, shot me a curious yet amused look. "Oh god," I breathed between each giggle. I looked at him and tried to explain. "The circumstances…what almost happened…" A look of surprise came over Ben's face as he put together what I had told him. I grinned at him, satisfied that I could still read his emotions as easily as before.

On cue, he doubled over in laughter as well and Pichu looked back and forth at both of us, unaware of what we found so funny. "Pichu," Ben choked out behind his laughter, "you're pretty amazing, ya know that?" He sobered up in a couple of seconds and I looked up to see him offering his hand down to me. "Partner?" His eyes softened as he looked at me.

"Partner," I affirmed, taking his hand and allowing him to heft me to my feet. Ben gave my hand one final squeeze before the two of us got back on track with our mission and raced into the mountain.

* * *

"That voice was so familiar…but I can't remember who it was…" I scowled as I navigated Latias through the clouds. Ben muttered something, but it was muffled in his scarf. "What was that?" Ben lifted his head so that his mouth was by his mouthpiece.

"I can't think of it right now either, but I'm sure we'll figure out soon enough."

"Let's hope so," I sighed, trying my best not to squeeze Latias' sides and take off without Ben. It was undeniable how much faster Latias was than his Staraptor, but last time I had left Ben alone to go ahead, he ended up as Red Eyes' prisoner and I ended up plummeting a couple hundred feet into the ocean.

"Now the three are awakened…I wonder what kind of horrors we'll face." Ben looked conflicted. "Purple Eyes said something about 'it rising'…what does he mean by that?"

"We'll have to wait and see," I replied as Voice Nav. spoke up.

"The mysterious vehicle's signal has stopped moving. Its present location…Oblivia ruins." I glanced over at Ben's Staraptor. He caught my look and nodded.

"We can go a bit faster, I think. Can we, Staraptor?" His Pokémon let out a noise to affirm Ben's question and Ben nodded at me. "Let's go."

* * *

"I can't believe it," Murph's voice cracked as we told him the news over our Stylers. "Dolce Island…the Societa…it was all Doctor Edward's plan?" Ben and I shared uncomfortable looks and nodded.

Nema's blue eyes drifted to Ukulele Pichu, who was curled up onto my chest. "Poor Pichu…It's a good thing that Booker and Nick were able to save the Pokémon, though."

"We tried breaking into the Sky Fortress already, but there was a barrier that wouldn't let us pass." I swallowed uncomfortably as I remembered the crushing feeling of the barrier. Latias and Staraptor both had tried their best to defend Oblivia by going through the barrier—in fact they had been the ones insisting to go through the barrier—but were forced to bring us home after being unable to penetrate the barrier of the fort. Ben glanced at me and continued on with his explanation. "We rushed back here as soon as we could so we could discuss the next step. We _need_ to break down that barrier."

"I have just the thing." Leanne nodded at us. "Meet me up in my library." Ben and I exchanged glances and raced after her.

* * *

"Weird…do you think…Voice Nav. actually has a _crush_ on Murph?" I winced.

"I don't think it's actually that way," I replied uneasily. "Well, at least I don't want to believe it that way." Ben cast an understanding look in my direction as the two of us headed back to the Sky Fortress.

Leanne had revealed a solution to destroying the barrier—freeing the three legendary birds. In order to do this, however, we had to find the Rainbow Grail and set it on the Rainbow Dais. Ben had run off with the papier-mâché version of the Rainbow Grail and set it on the Rainbow Dais in the center of Cocona Village. Two seconds later, Booker informed us that it was the fake and sent us running over to the actual "Hero Of Oblivia" trials. Twenty minutes later, covered in bruises and cobwebs, Ben and I returned with the grail. Then Booker informed us that the Rainbow Dais in Cocona Village was merely a replica of the real Dais. Amongst the chaos of everyone trying to remember where the true Dais could've possibly been, I remembered the Mantyke that stole my Styler the first day that I arrived in Oblivia.

After setting sail on The Union and actually finding the Dais, Ben and I were challenged by Ho-Oh, who had arrived upon the summons. A couple burns and plenty of scrapes later, Ho-Oh dispersed the barrier and the three legendary birds escaped. It was then that Murph sent us off on Latias and Staraptor to go and defeat the Societa.

Voice Nav. quickly spoke up. "The fortress's security system has been activated. The system has locked on you!" Ben shot a frantic look in my direction.

"Split up! We'll divide the fire!" Before I could answer, he had already taken off. Dread filled my heart as Latias began to speed up. Although Staraptor was fast and agile, the fact that Latias, a legendary flying Pokémon, could be hit by plasma cannons made me worried. If anything, I dreaded the moment in which I would land on the Sky Fortress and Ben wouldn't be there to meet me.

"Latiii!" Startled, I looked up just in time to see a stream of plasma cannons heading in my direction. I gripped Latias' shoulders tightly and leaned heavily onto my left, making Latias do a twist in midair.

"Sorry about that, Latias," I breathed as I focused on the next stream of cannons. "I'm on top of it now." The two of us weaved between the cannon fire until no more were headed in our direction. Suspicion filled my mind as we continued on for a couple of second.

Voice Nav. went off. "Danger! Danger! A massive energy signal has been confirmed." I lifted my body and Latias shot off to our upper left. A massive plasma cannon shot past us and the clouds it blasted through fragmented and fell to the earth. I stared at the damage left behind. _That was the same plasma cannon that blasted Dolce Island…to nothing!_ "Danger! Danger! A massive energy signal has been confirmed." _If that thing was enough to take down an entire island…what could it do to Latias and I?_

"One hit from those and we'll be out of the sky," I hissed as Latias and I dodged the next one. _More like out of existence_, I thought begrudgingly. Latias let out a quick murmur of agreement before spiraling out of the way of the next charged cannon blast. I tightened my grip on her shoulders. "Let's show'em what we got."

* * *

"Ben!" I all but leapt off of Latias as soon as I saw him waiting at the entrance of the Sky Fortress. Pichu and I landed with a soft thud and Ben's hands were there to pull me to my feet.

"Hey," he breathed, looking slightly winded. "It wasn't too bad on my side. They were more focused on shooting you out of the sky. Looks like they failed, though." He noticed some burns on my arms. "Are those from Mount Layuda or are those new? They look fresh." He studied them with concern. I grimaced. I had been hoping that Ben wouldn't notice them.

"Latias and I…were scratched by a couple of the big ones." Ben opened his mouth but I quickly cut him off. "Look, there's the entrance. It looks like we'll need some assists for that one." I glanced at Ben, who looked irritated at me. I stared at him for a bit longer and then sighed. "Ben, as much as I'd love to tend to my wounds _now_, we have a world to save." He bit his lip but nodded as he headed down one of the paths.

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

I stared at the Crimson in front of me. She looked beaten, broken, and bruised. She looked like a child who had been attacked by several bullies at once. I bit my lip in shame. I really shouldn't have laughed at her earlier. In apology, I offered her my hand, just as I had in our dorm room six months ago, when I had tried to apologize for sneaking up on her. Her clothes had been ripped at the hems by the Walrein and now I was finding it hard to find a place to keep my eyes trained. Without meaning to, my gaze flickered to her legs.

The shorts that Crimson had despised the first day that she got them were torn at the hem and revealing about an inch of skin above the original length. I remembered how she fussed with them, scowling as she pulled the edges down for the first week or so. Now, the pale, silky skin that had been hidden by the heavy denim was scratched and scraped, blood welling up in small beads.

Guiltily, I brought my eyes up to meet her blue eyes again. They were darker than usual and they seemed to burn with raging fire. Immediately, I felt disturbed. I had seen times where Crimson's eyes were fiery, but they were always a clear cerulean blue at those times. She scowled at me and slapped my hand away, tearing up as she straightened herself up. I stared at my stinging hand and looked back at her, unable to find any words to say.

Crimson began to shake, and I realized how much more vulnerable she became with each passing second. However, instead of going to comfort her, each and every word that left her mouth was like a bullet to my pride. She insulted me, she blamed me, and she refused to let me speak. Before I knew it, I had her back up against the wall and was screaming in her face.

I always had a fairly quick temper whereas Crimson was cooler, harder to break down. I learned early on not to take any of her words to heart. But in a situation where the legendary bird Pokémon were threatened, where we were almost freezing to death, and where every word she said was an double-edged knife? I took every single word to heart.

"From now on, _we're not partners!_" I was vaguely aware of myself yelling. Crimson, who had looked so vulnerable and subdued after getting her rage out, started to regain her earlier anger. Stubbornness filled her eyes.

"Fine." Her next words came out as a whisper. "So be it." I snarled at her and stalked off, staring furiously at the entrance to the peak of the mountain. My fist twitched. If there was anything rash I wanted to do at that moment, it would've been to start punching the thing nearest to me. Instead, I stood there and waited for the frigid air to take away my anger. After a couple of moments, I was vaguely aware of Crimson's cries on the other side of the wall. I felt a stab of regret for a second but it was quickly engulfed with stubbornness. I clenched my jaw and kicked at the ice with my feet. At the Ranger Union, I was always the first to apologize. For the first time in my life, I felt justified for refusing to do so.

* * *

**_Arguing while Nema and Leanne are in danger is not the smartest thing you've done in your life so far_**, Reason pointed out to me as Crimson and I rode toward Silver Falls. **Heh! For once in my life, I agree with this prude**, Instinct huffed, looking irritably in the distance. I grit my teeth and said nothing. Earlier at Rand's house, both Murph and Rand had commented on the tension between Crimson and I. Well, more like Murph commented on it and Rand yelled at us for it. Even Red Eyes had pointed it out at the top of the snowy mountain. My cheeks burned. _Was it really that obvious?_ Somewhere in my mind, Instinct snorted. **Sure it was, Kiddo! How else would he have noticed?** Reason quickly raised an eyebrow at that. **_He has a point_,** he agreed. I rolled my eyes. _Great, now _both _of you are turning against me._

**Hey, as much as I don't like this guy, reality's reality**, Instinct offered. He paused and studied the wall of my mind for a second. **Look Kiddo, as horrible as I am with being rational—that's the turd's job over there**, he pointed in Reason's direction, who scowled back at him menacingly, **—even I know that holding grudges is one of the worst things that a person can do. Swallow your pride for once—I'd rather live with a bruised dignity for one day rather than die because of **_**your**_** mistakes**.

I scowled. _Why don't you just shut up for now?_ Reason rolled his eyes and disappeared. Instinct narrowed his eyes and stared out at me for a second. **Your choices, our consequences**_,_ he mused before disappearing.

* * *

_Once again, painful and somewhat awkward position behind Crimson_, I thought bitterly to myself. Although the ride on Latias was much more comfortable than being on one of the legendary dogs, I couldn't help but feel upset about how dependent I was on Crimson. She was always the one who summoned the Pokémon and she was always the one who performed the best captures. My irritation faltered for a second. _I should be giving up this grudge soon…it really wasn't Crimson's fault after all…What am I thinking?! She's the one that needs to start respecting me for who I am!_ I snapped irritably at myself. _Like she didn't at the Ranger Union?_

_Shaddup,_ I told myself bitterly.

* * *

Five minutes after landing on Mount Layuda and I was only an inch away from strangling Ukulele Pichu and myself. Although Crimson had gotten me to laugh before we actually entered the mountain, I was still irritated by what I had almost done earlier and what Pichu had managed to stop me from doing earlier. _I almost kissed her_, I thought.

**Whoo! Good job! Get the girl! Atta boy!** Before I realized it, Instinct was back, swinging his vest around like a cowboy with a lasso. I scowled at him mentally. _She's my partner. _Immediately, Reason jumped to my defense.** _Exactly! We already discussed how this relationship should be strictly professional_**, he snapped. Instinct leered at him irritably before turning his back on the other persona. **Well, Ben?** He looked at me expectantly. **Do ya love the girl? **I froze. _What?_ Instinct rolled his eyes. **Are you deaf? Do. Ya. Love. The. Girl?** Even Reason, who had been ranting about professionalism in the background, froze to hear my answer. I blinked and answered as truthfully as I could.

_I don't know._

* * *

A/N: WHOA! Quite some angsty stuff in there, eh? I actually was tearing up while I was writing this...I tend to get really into writing these characters out...

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the tension that was in here...I even felt the tension and screamed at myself for not breaking into it...but...hopefully that's to come! So I hope you guys didn't mind the complete plot twists within this chapter-I apologize if you were confused by it. Some of the things I wanted to happen seriously did not work with the game so I twisted the plots enough so that it would work but the general idea is still there.

This morning while I was uploading Chapter 4, I noticed that I had gotten two reviews. I nearly had a heart attack right then and there. So just to give those two people my absolute undying declaration of affection and appreciation for reviewing on this (I wasn't getting any emails so I seriously thought that people HATED my stories), here are their names!

**TheSilverDragoon** and **Some Person** (lol), you have my overwhelming amount of thanks for reviewing! Although I am aware that **Some Person** either reviewed offline or was just a person without an account, I still appreciate your feedback very much. YAY REVIEWERS!

R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

As promised, this is the last summary chapter of what goes on in the game. I haven't completed all of the side quests (Time traveling with Celebi!) yet so unfortunately they're not going to be featured. So since this is the last summary chapter of the entire game...it's freaking long. And I have to admit, it gets a little awkward at certain parts because you'll read Ben's part and be like "Wait, that happened?"

Quick question guys: Should I switch to doing back and forth PoVs, keeping it the way it is now, or making it so each chapter is a different PoV? I have to say, it may be easier to do doing alternating PoVs on every event that happens, but I always find those stories fairly annoying. Lemme know what you think. I'll be taking answers all the way up to the last chapter of this story (have no idea when or what it'll be, but...) on a poll that I have created on my page.

_Italics _means Ben/Crimson is thinking. There is a quick heading that tells you if it's Ben speaking or not. For every single chapter (unless noted at the VERY BEGINNING), Crimson will start off from her PoV. Afterwards, it's Ben's (it'll be in the left hand corner just under a page break) turn.

**_Bold Italics_** means that Reason (Ben's voice of reason) is talking.

**Bold** tells you that Instinct (Ben's instinct) is speaking. It is highly improbable for me to create Instinct and Reason for Crimson as well.

Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN POKEMON.

* * *

"You know, I really like those floating platforms," Ben commented as we raced back toward the Steelhead Statue. "We should see if Nema can build some of those for us back at the Ranger Union. Think about how fun that'd be!"

"And how dangerous," I replied dryly. I nodded at the two Misdreavi and they hovered toward the stone figure. "Think about how many broken bones we'd have at the end of it." A glowing light filled their mouths as they pelted the statue with several glowing orbs. Ben frowned at me.

"But obviously we'd have railings," he protested as I waved goodbye to the Misdreavi. He quickly paused to say his farewells before carrying on. "Or we'd have Staraptor hovering around below so nobody's really hurt."

"Sounds like a painful experience for the Pokémon who have to save those unfortunate souls," I said, wincing as I did so. "Not to mention, even if Staraptors are fast, they definitely aren't fast _enough_ to catch a falling human." I blinked, remembering one of the quests an old lady had given me in Aqua Resort. "Even Pelippers can't catch a falling package of vegetables. Think about how hard it would be to make sure that a human lands safely on your back."

Ben muttered something underneath his breath, but I knew I had won the argument. Even then, I couldn't help myself. "What was that?" I teased. He shot me an irritated look but it quickly faded to a much softer emotion. As soon as we were up the staircase that had appeared after the two Misdreavi departed, Ben started to say something.

"Hey Crimson, when this is all done…" He grabbed my arm and held me back for a second, his brown eyes searching mine worriedly. I blinked and his cheeks flushed a little bit. "W-would—"

"So you've finally come this far." I tore my gaze away from Ben's to see a Steelhead watching us from further within the room. An Electivire and a Magmortar stood at his sides. I was faintly aware of Ben dropping my arm and stepping up beside me. The Steelhead's eyes glittered wickedly from behind his armor as he looked over the two of us. I tried my best not to shiver and pull at the hem of my shorts. The look he was giving me was absolutely disgusting. Ben seemed to sense my discomfort and stiffened up. The Steelhead studied us and then resumed talking, an arrogant edge to his voice. "Even my heart and mind have finally become Steelhead." He lifted his head to the ceiling, a euphoric look on his face as his lips curled upward in a maniacal smile. "The ancient knight's memories are telling me to defeat the heroes." His eyes flickered back toward us. "I must follow that voice!"

With a wave of his hand, the two Pokémon attacked.

* * *

"This is so messed up," Ben grumbled as the two of us raced up the staircases. "Every time we beat one of those guys they always mumbled something about how 'we're reaching our impending doom'." He snorted. "As if!" We had been attacked by a total of nine Steelheads before Rand and Nema caught up to us. It turned out that Nema had hopped onto a Z.Z Flier without her father realizing that she was following him. Rand took off to patrol the outside of the fortress and Nema stayed behind to charge our Stylers when we needed it.

"There's some kind of puzzle here, you see." Nema had nodded toward the door that was sealed by three different pieces. "You need to open these three pieces…and there's three doors up here. My guess is that you'll have to go through every door…" She caught my worried look and smiled. "Don't worry about me! You took care of all the Steelheads. I'll hide over here and charge your Stylers when you need to." As soon as she hid herself, her head popped out of her hiding space and she shooed us away.

Ben and I headed up the stairs to find ourselves in front of three different rooms. I glanced over at him. "Which one…?" My partner looked conflicted.

"Uh…_The first and righteous path is right, so right is the right fork in the road_," he quickly said. I raised an eyebrow.

"That sounds…horribly biased." Ben blushed sheepishly.

"It was something my mom always liked to say…" He murmured, averting his eyes. "She always liked to take the right side of things. Right side of the car, right side of the sofa, right side of the bed…" I smiled at him and snapped my fingers in front of his face.

"Come on, Ben. Focus. As much as I'd like to listen to you talk about your mother, we have a world to save." He winced but nodded.

"Right."

* * *

A tingle of fear rushed through me as the clouds crumbled beneath my feet. Flailing wildly, I managed to grab ahold of the cloud in front of me, gasping as I tried to heave myself up. "Pichu!" Ukulele Pichu grabbed ahold of my arm and pulled desperately, wriggling as he tried to heave me back onto the clouds. I felt a pang of gratefulness, but I was aware that both of us knew his help was very limited due to his small form. Before long, a burning sensation filled my arms and I began to tremble uncontrollably as my muscles screamed in pain. Suddenly, Pichu's hands left me and I raised my head, horrified that Hocus managed to grab Pichu while he was trying to help me back up. Instead, I saw Pichu walk race away from me, heading straight for another cloud several feet away. The sight chilled my blood.

"P-Pichu?" Was he betraying me? Had he been controlled by the armor? Pichu curled up and shook violently and I watched him, faintly aware that I was slipping off the edge.

"Pii…_CHUU_!" Bolts of lightning surrounded him and his blue ukulele, scattering the clouds and lighting up the room. Immediately, I heard footsteps running toward my direction.

"_Crimson!_" Ben's horrified face appeared in my line of sight as his arms reached out for me. He wrapped his arms around my torso and proceeded to lift me back onto the clouds. When we were both safely back on the cloud, he pressed me to him. "Oh god, I thought I'd lost you when Hocus separated us in this…" Ben looked around, unsure of what to call our surroundings. "…place. Then I heard Pichu's cry and saw lightning close by. Thank god he did that." He glanced gratefully at Ukulele Pichu, who was rushing over with relief in his eyes. "It would've taken me forever to find you otherwise."

"'Tis a pity!" Ben and I broke apart, startled. Hocus appeared with a pout on his face. "I thought we'd have a little more fun with our reuniting game, but I suppose we'll have to finish it up." He smiled wolfishly. "But how about one more game? There are four boxes here, you see. I need someone willing to play in this game." He looked around as if there were audience members sitting around, watching us. Faint cheers from invisible sources filled my ears. Ben's look of bewilderment quickly turned into a scowl.

"Aren't you done playing with tricks?" He yelled. Hocus seemed to ignore him.

"Ah, you! Little fellow over there, you'll be participating in this trick!" He smiled approvingly at Pichu, who suddenly was lifted up by an invisible hand. Immediately, Pichu began to struggle frantically, but with no avail. One of the lids to the black boxes with question marks on them opened up and the small yellow Pokémon was tossed into it. Hocus clapped his hands twice and the boxes began to spin and shuffle themselves. With a snap of his fingers, the four boxes paused and then flew off in different directions. "Now, here's how the game will be played! That little Pichu is hidden in one of the Mysterious Boxes that are scattered over the clouds. It'll be your task to find the right one!"

"And the ones that don't hold Pichu?" Ben asked suspiciously. Hocus merely smiled at him.

"You'll have to find out~" He replied in a sing-song voice.

"Why you!" Immediately my partner stepped forward, his fist clenched in front of him menacingly. Hocus laughed and disappeared before Ben could lunge at him. My partner let out a furious growl and crossed his arms irritably. "Fine," he called out to the open air. "We'll play this little game of yours…but we won't be responsible for the consequences you'll have to face!"

* * *

Hocus stared at the ground before him in anguish and disbelief. Ben looked like he wanted to punch the magician senseless, but I held him back with a warning glance. At my look, he stopped advancing and merely scowled at the defeated man before us. "C-C-Crowbat…" Hocus whispered as the illusion of Ben and I flying in the sky disappeared along with his oversized Pokémon. "I…I can't believe it. My big illusion…"

"Following Ed was a great mistake, Hocus," I told him slowly. He looked at me, the pain raw in his eyes. Although I could see a youthful fire glowing in his eyes, his appearance was that of a long retired entertainer. I could feel my resolve soften as I looked over the defeated, aged man. "For you, isn't real happiness using magic to make kids smile? Isn't your magic created for the purpose of bringing joy and wonder to the lives of everyday people?" Hocus stared at me and then let out a bitter chuckle.

"That hits close to the heart." He winced, as if to prove his point. He rose to his feet, offering a weary smile to Ben, who automatically tensed up. "But…" His eyes clouded. "There's no going back now. After all, some things are impossible even for a magician." He cleared his throat and bowed to us before saying, "That's the end of my show! See you next time! Nothing up my sleeve except for a goodbye!" He tipped his hat to us before disappearing through a golden portal.

"Such a waste…" I glanced up to see Ben staring at where Hocus had disappeared with bitter eyes. "Such wonderful magic for such an evil cause…" The two of us shared a moment of silence before Voice Nav. spoke up.

"It seems that one of the seals on the door has been broken." Ben, Pichu, and I shared surprised looks.

"Well, I guess that's how to get into the door. Let's get back to Nema as soon as possible," Ben suggested. "After all, we need to keep our Stylers charged at all times."

* * *

"What happened this time? Your Styler looks really beat up!" Nema frowned as she looked over the device in her hand.

"Ask Arley." I replied, wincing as she stuck the device in the charger. Nema scowled irritably.

"Arley…If I ever get my hands on him for damaging such a beautiful device…" She growled, checking the circuits inside.

"Well, I was the one using it," I added in truthfully. Nema shot me a distasteful look.

"That doesn't matter! He had a huge, lumbering Pokémon and _that's _the reason why your Styler is dying. I've seen you do captures before and it most definitely cannot be your fault. By the way, why do you guys look so…beat up?" She frowned at Ben and I.

"Once again, ask Arley." Ben grumbled, helping me dust dirt off my back. He muttered irritably under his breath about a Regigigas and Nema shot us a sympathetic look.

"Here. I have a first aid kit if you guys want to bandage up before the last room," Nema said, offering a white box with a red plus sign on it while glancing at the door to her right. "I ran by Herb's house before coming here so I have some medicinal patches…" I groaned in relief.

"Nema, would you mind pasting some on my lower back?" I winced as she turned me around and tenderly prodded the area. "I'm ridiculously sore from riding Suicune, Latias, and slipping on ice."

"No problem," she replied, opening the kit. She shot an icy glare in Ben's and Pichu's directions. "Turn around boys, or I'll break your Styler and ukulele," she threatened. Ben immediately flushed and turned around while Pichu clung desperately to his ukulele and stood with his back facing us. "Much better," she hummed appreciatively as she pulled up the back of my top. She winced. "Those look really bad…But I'm sure that these patches will help." The second that I felt a small patch of cool gel come in contact with my tender skin, a pleasured sigh left my mouth. "Feel good?" Nema asked, raising an eyebrow with amusement.

"Feels amazing," I purred, closing my eyes to enjoy the patches that Nema continued to put on my back. I cracked an eye open to see Ben standing stiffly with his back to us. I chuckled when I saw how red his ears were. "Hey Ben!" I called. His head turned a little to the side to show that he was listening. "Do you want Nema and I to put these patches on you too?" Nema gave me a slightly amused and disbelieving look. I winked at her and giggled when Ben's ears turned even redder.

"Uh-ah-buh-No, it's okay!" He stammered, quickly turning his head back to the front. "I'll just get Pichu to do it for me real quick. Right buddy?" I saw him frantically nudge the Pokémon beside him. Pichu's yellow shoulders slumped for a second before he gave a slow nod. Nema and I roared in laughter as Ben's ears turned bright red and he yelled at me to hurry up.

* * *

"Nice going, Ben," I drawled dryly as the two of us limped back to where Nema was. I turned my head to glare at him. "You should know better than to insult a Ditto," I chided, "Dittos are amazing at taking on whatever form of Pokémon they face." Ben scowled at me and quickly turned his head back.

"I'll drop you if you say any more," he threatened. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"If you do, I'll tell Nema and she'll break your Styler," I retorted. A small curse came from him and I smiled triumphantly before continuing my criticism. "I thought you were a big enough fan of Zenith's to know about how powerful Dittos can be." I felt a pang of pain. I missed Zenith's Dopple and all of his other Pokémon. When he was going around winning gym badges, he'd always drop by often so that we could hang out together. Not to mention, but his Pokémon adored me just as much as I adored them.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ben brushed me off and continued walking. After a little bit, he glanced at me again. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." His eyes hardened and he looked at me expectantly. "Fine, fine. I miss Zenith. I miss his Pokémon. And the Aggron, the Gardevoir, and the Gallade that we faced earlier just make me miss them more." I paused. "Especially when we fought Kasa and her Ditto." I chewed on my lip. "Dopple was a part of my family before he became Zenith's." Ben was silent for a couple of seconds before I felt his warm breath on my cheek.

"Well, I'm sure they miss you too." I blinked at him, but before I could say anything, Nema caught sight of us.

"Crimson! Oh my god, what happened to you?" She immediately threw my other arm around her shoulder as she and Ben half-carried half-dragged me to her hiding spot. She studied the ripped hem of my uniform with concern. I scowled at it and Ben quickly turned around with red ears. "Do you have a change of clothing?" I nodded and she sighed in relief. "Good. Go wait by my hiding spot and I'll be there in just a second. Ben," she called and he turned his head slightly. "Watch out for any spying Pokémon. We don't appreciate Peeping Toms here." Immediately, Ben snatched up Ukulele Pichu and headed around the corner.

"Got it!" He called after a couple of seconds. I glanced back down at my shorts and sighed. I had already considered them too short when they were only an inch or two higher than where the middle of my thigh was, but now they were almost ripped to be like underwear. At least two or three more inches had been torn off in the fight with Kasa.

"I have some ointment here for the rest of your scratches." Nema tossed a small tube at me as she helped me pull out my change of shorts from my waist pack. "Did you grab this before you came here?" She frowned as she studied it.

"Actually, it was a gift from Weber." I replied, wincing as I started to shimmy into my spare shorts. I paused and then sat down, pulling the shorts down to my knees. "Hey Nema, do you mind helping me bandage my legs up here?" I nodded at my exposed thighs. "If my shorts were to tear again, I'd much rather have bandages covering me up than to flash my skin at Ed the Thinker." I shuddered at the thought and Nema laughed at my reaction.

"No problem." She pulled out a roll of bandages and I offered her one of my legs. She began winding the bandages up snugly and asked me from time to time whether it was too tight or too lose. As she worked, I studied the design that was formed from the three stone slates that made up the door. _Soon,_ I thought, narrowing my eyes. _Soon._

* * *

"Purple Eyes," I snarled, standing defensively in front of Nema and Ben. The blue eyed girl was sobbing her eyes out after her father leapt in front of Ed the Thinker and Mewtwo's portal and swallowed them both. My partner was desperately trying to comfort her. Usually it would've been Ben confronting our enemies, but his Styler had snapped during Mewtwo's first capture. Now Mewtwo glowed with an eerie purple light and Purple eyes sneered at us from where he stood. "You son of a bitch."

"Any last words? I'll pass them onto the Ranger Union." He studied Ben and I lazily. "Although there won't be much use for an outfit like that in my world." Ben bristled and I growled at him. Pichu, who was usually optimistic and gentle, bared his teeth and raised his hackles. Nema stood up suddenly, her usually cheerful face twisted in rage.

"_YOU GIVE HIM BACK!_" She screamed, throwing something at Purple Eyes. Immediately, Mewtwo reached out a hand and a purple aura surrounded the flying object, freezing it in place. With a clatter, the aura disappeared and the screwdriver clattered to the ground in front of Purple Eyes, harmless. I shot a look in Ben's direction and immediately he had ushered Nema toward the back, where he could keep her away from Purple Eyes.

"I swear on my life I will never forgive you," I hissed. "For all you've done! To Pokémon, to people—to Oblivia? You can mark my words, Purple Eyes, _I will defeat you_." His eyes narrowed at my words, and he lazily flicked the air, as if bored.

"Are those your last words?" He mused. Pichu hissed from beside me, curling his lip upward to reveal pointed teeth. He sneered at the Pokémon by my side. "Let's begin." Mewtwo rushed toward me, his hand outstretched.

* * *

In a flash, Mewtwo disappeared and the golden armor flew off of Purple Eyes. "It cannot be…" He whispered, looking lost. They became four golden orbs and gathered in the middle of the room. Immediately, the purple-eyed man threw himself at them. Ben let out a cry of alarm as I jumped forward as well. Just as Purple Eyes' hands hovered over the one closest to them, the four orbs dispersed and flew out of the control room. Purple Eyes stared at his hand and I leapt back to avoid any sudden attacks. He looked up at me, his face twisted in fury.

"_What have you done to me?_" He demanded, glaring at me. Suddenly it seemed as if the entire weight of the world collapsed upon his shoulders. He looked older, broken even. "It's the end." He croaked, misery filling his eyes. Behind his tears he glared at me. "_And it's the end for you too!_" He roared, pointing a shaking finger in my direction. I stared at him and Pichu started growling again.

"W-what do you mean?" I heard Ben's voice from behind me. Purple Eyes stared at me, loathing plain on his face. Suddenly, the room shook and Pichu yelped in fright. The yellow Pokémon leapt into my arms and I clung onto him, trying my best not to fall over. I glanced over my shoulder to see Nema holding onto Ben as he tried to steady both of them against the wall. Purple eyes wobbled a little, but his expression showed no fear or panic as he threw his head back in anguish.

"The fortress is falling!" I heard Nema yell shakily.

"Hold on, everyone!" I called over my shoulder. Purple Eyes stared at us blankly.

"What else did you expect?" He whispered over the shaking. I had barely heard him. "What did you think would happen if you lost the armor that was controlling the fortress?" He shook his head as an icy look appeared in his eyes. "Naïve rangers," he lifted his chin haughtily. "Of course it's going to fall." His eyes suddenly seemed to stare off into the distance. "After such a long battle between the rangers and the pinchers…it's still a tie, huh? Well, let's not dwell on that…" He closed his eyes as he fell to his knees. "Heh heh eh heh heh…" With a soft thud, he collapsed on the floor.

"Crimson!" I turned to see Nema clutching onto Ben's shoulder as the two of them braced themselves against the wall. "If something this big falls into the ocean, it'll create a tsunami big enough to swallow all of Oblivia!" Alarms began to blare in my head. Pichu stiffened in my arms and we shared a horrified look. I looked up and met Ben's eyes, which reflected the look of terror I was experiencing right now. _The Pokémon…Not the Pokémon!_

"Buzzz…zzz…ers!" Startled, everyone looked around.

"Guys! I'm receiving a message!" Ben called. I started to take a step toward him, but the shaking made me lose my balance and I fell to one knee. Pichu shook in my arms and Ben looked torn between protecting Nema and going to save me. I glared at him with as much strength I could muster to tell him that if he left Nema, I was going to skin him alive.

"Zzzz…Can you hear me?" Leanne's voice filled the speakers.

"Mom!" Nema called, quickly grabbing ahold of his Styler. "Guys, Mewtwo's energy made the Styler go a little weird." She shuffled around with it for a couple of seconds before letting go and bracing herself back against the wall. "It's okay now," she shouted at Ben. Ben nodded at me before playing the transmission.

"This is Leanne! Is everything okay? Someone please answer!"

"Leanne!" Ben called, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible.

"Mom! Somewhere high…Mt. Latolato…You need to evacuate to Mt. Latolato right away!"

"I've been listening to everything that has happened!" Leanne's voice came back through the speaker. "Calm down and listen to what I have to say." I strained my ears to hear what she was saying. "I learned something new! It's written in the past that the Hero of Oblivia used the power of the rainbow to encompass the falling Sky Fortress. The rainbow is, in other words…"

"Ho-Oh!" Ben finished for her, shooting me a surprised look.

"Exactly! If you can summon Ho-Oh, you can save yourselves and everyone else in Oblivia!"

"But you need the Rainbow Grail to call on Ho-Oh!" Ben grit through his microphone.

"Actually, let me talk to Crimson about that. Crimson, can you hear me?"

"Yes!" I yelled.

"Alright. When you captured Ho-Oh, did you see a floating Emblem like you usually did when you captured Raikou, Entei, and Suicune?" I thought hard back to the moment when I had captured Ho-Oh. It had been a blur, but…

"I think I saw something!" I called back.

"Does that mean we'll be able to call Ho-Oh with a ranger sign?" Ben asked.

"It's something we'll have to try! Quickly, get to a place where you can see the sky!" Leanne ordered. I nodded at Ben before shakily getting to my feet.

"Stay here, Ben! Protect Nema!" I rushed forward, stumbling before I grabbed onto one of the pillars for support. As soon as I reached the outside rim, air billowed against my vest and made it difficult for me to move my arms. "Dammit!" I growled, quickly ripping the red vest off before holding up my Styler. I felt my arms whimper in pain as I tried to keep my lines steady as I drew the sign to call Ho-Oh. "Just a little more…" I hissed as the last line came into place. "There!"

An orange Emblem pulsed in the sky, calling out for the legendary bird. "Come on, Ho-Oh!" I cried, clutching onto Pichu as I stared up at the sky. "Can you hear the people of Oblivia calling for you? Can you hear the cries of the Pokémon? Ho-Oh!"

Suddenly, it felt as if time had stopped. The rumbling faded into a steady hum instead of a ground shaking terror. Small sparkling ashes filled the air and a large, heavenly bird flew down in front of me. I felt the tears that had been gathering up in my eyes spill over. "Ho-Oh," I breathed. I reached out a hand and laid it gently on its beak. "You really came." The legendary bird pressed its beak against my hand for a couple of seconds before lifting its head and letting out a cry. Pichu immediately sat up, letting out a cry of his own.

Before I knew it, I was suddenly surrounded by Pokémon, each and every one of them lifting their heads to the sky and calling out to Ho-Oh. As I looked around me, I realized that although they were not physically standing around me, their spirits had managed to bring them here with me. Lifting my head, I joined in on the cries. "Ho-Oh!" I yelled, matching Pichu's volume and all the Pokémon around me. "Ho-Oh!"

Immediately, the fortress stabilized and began to make a much more gentle dissent into the ocean. I was faintly aware of my knees buckling out from underneath me and collapsing to the ground. Before I blacked out, I was faintly aware of the figures of the Pokémon who had been calling out to Ho-Oh with me gathering around. When I closed my eyes, I felt warm and fulfilled.

* * *

"Crimson! Crimson!" I felt something shaking my shoulder urgently. With a groan, I got onto my knees, rubbing at my eyes as I tried to regain consciousness. I looked up to see Nema looking at me with a relieved expression on her face. Pichu leapt into my arms, almost tackling me to the ground as he burrowed against my chest. I stroked his fur and nuzzled his head. "You almost scared us to death," Nema breathed, putting a hand to her chest. "I'm so glad that Ho-Oh came. It saved us all." I nodded and got to my feet, wincing as my sore back began to throb again.

"Crimson." I looked up and saw Ben standing there with an indescribable look on his face. I felt a rush of wind before I was tightly enveloped in his arms. His face was buried in my shoulder and he squeezed me against his chest. Suddenly, I felt something struggling in between us and pushed at his shoulders frantically. When he refused to move, I started to panic.

"Ben! Pichu's suffocating!" Startled, he drew back and Pichu landed on the floor, looking slightly winded and breathless. He looked apologetically at the Pokémon and Pichu flicked his wrist, as if to say all was forgiven. Ben looked back at me hesitantly and I smiled at him before opening my arms to him. Immediately, he stepped into my embrace and the two of us hugged each other tightly again. I relished the warmth of his body and his comforting hug.

A soft cough made us break apart again and Nema watched us with a sappy grin on her face. Immediately, Ben flushed. I quickly cleared my throat. "Let's get ready to get home, guys."

* * *

"Mom?" Ben and I followed Nema back into her house, frowning as we noticed that the lights were turned off. She was still broken hearted by the loss of her father and said nothing on the way back. I touched her shoulder lightly and she turned around, wrapping her arms around me as she cried softly into my shoulder. There was only a little bit of light that managed to filter into the room and I nodded at Ben when he went to turn on the light switch. I stroked Nema's hair, unsure of what to say. As soon as the light flickered on, everyone jumped up in shock.

"SURPRISE!" Nema and I broke apart, hearts beating rapidly as we stared at the people in front of us. Leanne, Murph, Booker, and Nick stood at the table, smiling broadly at us. Immediately, Nema started crying again and the four people shared confused looks.

"M-mom," she sobbed as she reached for Leanne. "Papa…"

"What's this about me?" Immediately, Nema's head shot up and stared at the man standing at the top of the stairs. I glanced at Ben and his mouth was open with shock. Nema's eyes filled up with heavy tears again as she flung herself at the man who was heading down the stairs.

"_PAPA!_" She curled up into his arms, sobbing her eyes out as she clung desperately onto her father. Ben walked up to me and leaned in to whisper to my ear.

"Am I dreaming, or what?" I blinked at him and opened my mouth to reply.

"I'm not sure either."

"It's okay, Nema. It's okay." We looked back to see Rand cradling his daughter's face in his hands, crooning soothingly to her. I could barely believe my eyes. Rand was alive. Rand was here. Tears filled my eyes in relief. "Great job, you two." The area ranger nodded at us, as if he hadn't disappeared at all.

"Rand…what happened?" Ben asked hesitantly, scanning the faces of the other adults in the room. The man scratched his chin thoughtfully and frowned.

"Truthfully, I don't really know myself. Before I knew it, I had already thrown myself in front of Ed. Maybe his silent plea reached my heart." He planted an affectionate kiss on Nema's forehead as she continued to cry into his shirt. "Nema, it's alright. I'm home."

"At that time, Rand, you were as reckless as you could possibly be." Ben scolded. He paused for a second but sheepishly admitted after Nema shot him a death glare, "but it was a little cool." When Nema didn't stop leering at him, he quickly altered his earlier words. "Okay, it was pretty cool." Satisfied, Nema turned back to her father and nestled her face in his chest. The room filled with laughter and Ben squeezed my hand. I turned to look in his eyes and was immediately soothed by the warmth I found in them.

"Mission clear," he whispered in my ear. I rolled my eyes and slapped him playfully on the shoulder. He laughed and smiled to me before both of us struck our poses and declared it a mission clear.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Crimson!" Jamie smiled at me as I walked into the cafeteria and sat down next to her. I returned the grin, happily scooting the scrambled eggs on my plate around. I had managed to convince my friends at the union to stop calling me Summer since Crimson stuck a little better, but occasionally, they would slip on my name and call me Summer again. "You're finally seventeen!"

"Finally?" I spluttered. She and Julian laughed at my reaction. "Please! You two may be a month or two older than me but that doesn't mean that I'm very far behind you!"

"Sure, sure." Julian rolled his eyes at me and I couldn't help but smile as they continued to tease me. He was a funny and sweet guy who seemed to have a special affinity for water Pokémon. Jamie always told me that his eyes would light up every time they had swimming lessons or water skiing with Pokémon. If anything, her earlier crush on him faded into a very strong friendship and now the two of them were best friends. It irked me a bit because they got so familiar during my absence, but I was extremely happy for them. And it wasn't just during my trip to Oblivia that they got so close, but it was because Ben and I had risen up the ranks of the rangers within weeks.

"Hey Crimson." Ben scooted into the seat next to Julian. His eyes sparkled warmly at me. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." I smiled at him and started to take a couple bites of my breakfast. "I hear that you two," I motioned toward Julian and Jamie with my fork, "got promoted three ranks while we were gone. Congrats!" Jamie beamed at me and Julian grinned at my words.

The ranks of the ranger union went similarly to the colors of the rainbow. The lowest rank was white and the highest was black. Badges were given and replaced as a pair rose up in the rankings. However, when a ranger finally reached the black ranking, they were given a personalized badge as a symbol of completion. Ben and I were specialty rangers, so we were placed on a different scaling. It started with copper and ended at precious stones. We were somewhere in the middle of that ranking, so we were currently placed at gold. It wouldn't be long until we reached the final stage, of course.

Murph had told us ahead of time that we could choose what color stone we wanted to represent ourselves with. Since we were two of the eight rangers who were in this ranking, there were a lot of choices open to us. There were diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, and aquamarine ranks and we were allowed to choose a certain type. For diamonds, there were some variations of colors so it was one of the more open categories, but as for the other stones, they were a set color. There was only one pair of rangers who had managed to get to the precious gem ranking and they had already laid claim to the rarest diamond of all—the red diamond. Ben and I had already teased one another about staking a claim on one of the jewels as our pair but since we had at least two more rankings to pass, we still hadn't really decided. From what we heard, we were given a plain platinum badge and told to go to Chairperson Erma's office to decide on what our gemstone and what our designs were going to be.

"So you two are red-oranges? That's impressive," Ben whistled appreciatively as Julian showed us his badge. It usually took half a year to even rise a single rank, so it was quite astounding when our friends shot up the three in nine months.

"Unfortunately, not as good as you guys," Jamie pouted playfully at us. Ben and I looked at each other and let out a shaky laugh. It had taken a long time to upgrade all the way to a silver. We had started out as a copper and found ourselves at a gold after returning to the Ranger Union. Ben was convinced that we could've gotten a higher ranking, but happily took the rank regardless.

"Hey Ben! Crimson!" My partner and I looked up to see Murph waving at us from the doorway of the cafeteria. "Professor Hastings wants to see you guys in a couple of minutes. Finish eating as soon as you can." He turned to leave and then paused. He quickly turned his head to look at me. "By the way, happy birthday, Crimson!"

As soon as he was out of the door, I felt hundreds of eyes stare at me from where I sat. Ben, noticing my predicament, quickly picked up his plate and offered to take mine. I blinked at him in surprise. Although I had only gotten a couple bites into my stomach, I seriously didn't want to eat in front of everyone in the union—especially when they were all staring me down. Julian and Jamie gave us sympathetic looks as Ben and I quickly dumped our plates in a tub of dirty plates and fled.

"Murph has no sense of observation," I groaned as the two of us headed toward Professor Hasting's office.

"Well, there's not much we can do about it," Ben chuckled as he opened the door for me. I nodded my thanks to him and walked in to see Professor Hastings studying the board on the wall. "Professor Hastings." He turned and nodded to us in welcome.

"It's been three months since you've returned from Oblivia. Even when you finally come home to relax a bit and take it easy, you two look pretty wide eyed and ready to get back out there." Ben and I smiled at each other before nodding. "Well, you're going to like what I'm going to tell you then. I need you two to head back to the Oblivia region and watch it while Rand and Leanne present a research paper that they had written together." I quivered with excitement. "They were invited to a conference in a different region, so although Oblivia is peaceful at the moment, I still want you there to patrol in Rand's place. After having the Pinchers almost destroy Oblivia, I want to make sure that something like that won't happen again."

"Research paper? That's pretty cool." Ben looked impressed.

"The title was something like 'The Light and Darkness of the History of People and Pokémon in the Oblivia Region.'" His eyes twinkled with amusement. "They also described your deeds in detail."

"Sounds like Rand to me," I laughed. "He had me deliver a twelve page, hand-written report to Murph about the Wireless Tower."

"Seeing as how the two of you seem estatic about going," he nodded approvingly to us. "Go and pack up. You'll be leaving in at least an hour. Hurry, hurry, hurry! We don't want Leanne and Rand to miss their conference."

Ben leaned in and whispered, "He's as impatient as ever." I tried my best not to laugh at his words.

"Pardon. Did you say something?" Professor Hastings frowned at Ben.

"I said, 'we'll be going then!'"

* * *

"Truthfully, Crimson, don't you think one of us is enough to watch over Oblivia?" Ben asked as we flew over on Staraptors. Since the Ranger Union was located outside of Oblivia, I wasn't able to summon Latias to take me back. Ben huffed indignantly. "That probably means we're not considered to be experienced enough to patrol on our own." I cocked my head and studied him.

"Ben…do you _want _to patrol alone? I'm more than happy to leave the patrols to you." I raised an eyebrow at him and he started stammering again.

"W-w-well it's n-not that I don't like to patrol with you," he blabbered, "it's just…after all that we've been through—shouldn't we be trusted enough to handle entire regions by ourselves? I mean, we are specialty rangers."

"We're not the only ones anymore," I reminded him. "Remember? Some of the top rangers decided to become specialty rangers. That's why we have someone who's in the precious gems ranking right now."

"Still…" Ben frowned. "Look, there's Rand's house. Prepare to land!" I looked down and let out a little sigh when I realized that he was right. I regarded Ben curiously—although we _had_ reached Rand's house, I felt like he was purposely changing the topic. _Ben…_I thought, _do you really want to be that independent? Do you really want to be a ranger without a partner?_ I almost slapped myself for my next thought. _Do you really want to be a ranger without _me_?_

* * *

"Crimson! Ben! Pichu!" Nema greeted all of us before going over and hugging the familiar yellow Pokémon.

"Hey Rand. Leanne." Ben nodded at both of them as Nema turned to give me a hug. "Nema." He acknowledge her as she gave him a quick hug as well. "We're here to watch Oblivia while you go make your presentation."

"Sounds great." Rand nodded his approval. However, a thoughtful frown quickly replaced the smile on his face. "That's weird, though. I thought they'd let you go separately instead. After all, you two are very advanced and capable rangers."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Ben agreed. I bit my lip and tried not to let my disappointment show on my face. _Crimson_, I scolded myself, _don't get so attached to Ben! It's not like he hates you—he just wants to be independent!_

"Hey Crimson!" I looked up just in time to see Nema dump a Z.Z Flier on the ground. "Check it out! Junk from the Z.Z Fliers will soon be reborn to protect Oblivia!" She looked approvingly at the machinery on the carpet. "It's a new vehicle for patrolling the islands. It's called…"

"Nema-Flyer 1!" Leanne quickly cut in. Nema shot a pout in her mom's direction but shrugged nonetheless.

"Nema-Flyer 1, I suppose," she grumbled. Everyone in the room laughed. After a couple of moments, Rand cleared his throat.

"Well, since you two are hear right now, the two of us should be going." He nodded to his wife. "Professor Hastings gave special permission for The Union to be used in surveying Pokémon in the sea and we'll be going on it!"

"Knock, knock!" Ben and I turned to see Murph again, who was grinning against the doorway. "Nice to see you two made it safely. Rand, Leanne, I carried all your things to The Union. We're ready to depart at any time!" He glanced at Ben and I. "Oh, by the way, did you guys hear that I'm in charge of researching the marine Pokémon?"

"Really?" Ben arched an eyebrow. Murph nodded proudly.

"Yep! So that means I'm in charge of The Union until Professor Hastings comes to Oblivia."

"He's coming to Oblivia?" Murph gave us a funny look.

"Of course he'd come to Oblivia after what happened three months ago!" He stated, as if it were obvious. "In fact, when he received the wireless report from Rand, he was at a loss for words!" Rand nodded.

"In fact, we even got special permission so that Murph could take us to our archeology conference aboard The Union." Rand glanced at the clock. "Speaking of which, we should be leaving soon. Nema, take care of the house."

"Alright! Have a good trip." She smiled mischievously. "Sometimes you two should go out—just the two of you. It'll be like a date!" Leanne shot her daughter an exasperated yet amused look.

"Don't be silly, Nema." The three of them said their farewells before leaving the room. Nema quickly turned to us.

"I bet you're wondering what's been happening in Oblivia while you were one. Sometimes you two should go out—just the two of you. It'll be like a date!" She smiled cheerily at us. I scoffed and was about to say something, but the look on Ben's face stopped me in my tracks.

His face was bright red and he started stammering wildly. "Y-y-you're being silly again!" He spluttered. "It's not a date—it's a real patrol!"

"Sure, sure," Nema teased, amusement dancing in her eyes. I sighed and shook my head at her, although I couldn't help smiling at her mischief. Ben looked extremely conflicted and cornered.

"In fact, to p-prove it, today we'll do s-s-separate patrols!" He declared suddenly. Nema looked startled.

"What? Separate patrols?" She cast me a look, as if to say _are you really going to let him do this?_ Ben took no notice in her actions.

"O-of course! W-well then, I'll leave early and…uh…Do, Re Mi, Fa, So…I'll do 'So'…uh…So-So-Sophian Island! I-I-I uhh I'm leaving to patrol Sophian Island's Aqua Resort!" His words came out faster than a Bulbasaur using its razor leaf attack. He looked around for a couple of seconds, flustered, before bolting out the door.

I stared off after him and sighed before turning back to Nema. A sly look was on her face. "He likes you~" she teased, eyes glittering with laughter. I shook my head in amusement.

"Whatever you say, Nema. I'll patrol around Reinbow Island and Mitonga Island before I actually go after him." I shrugged.

"Oooh, playing hard to get, eh?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Whatever you say," I replied, laughing as I stepped out the door. "Whatever you say."

"Oh, wait, Crimson!" Startled, I paused and turned back. "Do you want to stay for dinner tonight?" I thought for a second. Patrolling Reinbow Island and Mitonga Island wouldn't take any more than four hours if nothing really big was really going on so I would have at least two hours to go meet up with Ben before dusk…_Ah, whatever. Let Ben do as he pleases._ I scowled inwardly. _Since he's so interested in doing _separate _patrols, I'll let him hang around Sophian Island for as long as he wants to. _I paused. _In fact, I'll even patrol Mitonga and Reinbow _again_ tomorrow! That's what you get, Ben! That's what you get._

"Of course, Nema! I'll be back before dusk." I nodded at her as I headed out to her front yard. Of course, while I was preparing to head down to Cocona village to start my patrol, I mentally slapped myself. _Crimson, get ahold of yourself! What is going on with you?_ I sighed as I walked past a villager, nodding to them as I went by. _I don't even know anymore._

* * *

As I had promised myself earlier, I refused to go after Ben as soon as I was done with my patrols over Mitonga and Reinbow Island. To kill time, I had even visited Mount Layuda and Mount Faldera. Dinner was mostly uneventful other than Nema apologizing profusely about how her Nema-Flyer 1 had attacked me earlier. After washing the dishes and preparing meals for tomorrow, I said goodnight to Nema and curled up in their guest bedroom, cuddling Ukulele Pichu to my chest. _Stupid Ben,_ I scowled. _Stupid, stupid, stupid Ben. Even I don't know what you do to me anymore._

* * *

I scowled as I checked the time again. 11 O'clock. I was done patrolling every single island except for Sophian Island, where Ben was hanging around.I had even patrolled the Sky Fortress, which only had Pokémon with no problems. In other words, I had no other excuses to avoid him. If I spent the day with Nema, she would be suspicious and start questioning me like she usually did if I hung out with her instead of with Ben. If I hung out with Booker and Nick, I would just end up running errands for them. _Not like that'd be really bad_, I thought to myself. Pichu danced around my feet, humming happily to himself as Latias circled around me lazily.

"Latii!" She chirped happily, nuzzling my jaw and curling me up against her. I stroked her cheek absentmindedly. Did I want to go after Ben? Did I really want to see him again and be told off about going on another _lone patrol_? I scowled and Latias butted my cheek, automatically sensing my bitter mood. I sighed and rubbed my face against hers.

"Oh Latias…what am I supposed to do?" I whispered. She purred but said nothing else. I let out another long sigh and stood up. She straightened up immediately, lowering herself so I could climb onto her back. "Well, you have to face the boy sometime," I groaned to myself, waiting as Pichu clambered on. I glanced at Latias, who was humming happily to herself. "Well, Latias, what do say we go slow this time, eh? Just enjoy the breeze and the clouds…" She purred happily in her throat and with that, we were off.

* * *

"Crimson!" I turned around to see Ben racing toward me after waving goodbye to Latias. I had managed to convince the legendary Pokémon to take me all around Oblivia for an hour before (begrudgingly) allowing her to drop me off on Sophian Island. I was hoping that he'd be on a patrol somewhere deep in Canal Ruins, but it seemed that he had just returned from one. I couldn't help but feel my heart clench as he came nearer, waving excitedly as if he hadn't told me that he was going off on his own and rather hadn't seen me in a long time. _Don't get excited Crimson_, I warned myself. _He still ditched you, ya know._ I looked up to see him fiddling with his fingers before speaking up.

"You didn't come after me, did you?" I blinked—what was Ben saying? He had left me to go on a solo patrol by himself and now he was wondering if I came to Sophian Island because I couldn't stand being away from him? Ridiculous! _Well, I did refuse to go check up on him yesterday_, I thought to myself. _But still! Can one day pass and Ben not notice that I didn't decide to check up on him after patrolling Mitonga and Reinbow? You can only be optimistic for so long!_ Ben shook his head from side to side, almost muttering to himself as he said, "No, you didn't. It's just a coincidence, right?"

Suddenly, I was tired. I just didn't know what to do with Ben anymore. _What happened to the Ben that I knew before we defeated Purple Eyes? _ I groaned inwardly. "It's whatever you think it is, Ben." I replied carefully. A hurt look appeared in his eyes and I bit my lip to hold in a sigh. After a couple of seconds, he quickly changed the topic.

"It's very different from three months ago. There's no trouble, it's very peaceful. I suppose it's the same for the other islands?" I nodded in agreement. Amusement and nostalgia clouded Ben's warm brown eyes. "Last time, we'd take one step and someone would be yelling 'Raaangers!' to ask for help." I chuckled as I remembered how Ben and I would go off five hours of sleep just so we could get a head start on the Pinchers.

"Raaangers!" Startled, Ben and I flinched at the call.

"Well, Ben, you got your wish," I teased before turning to the direction of the call. He rolled his eyes and affectionately nudged my shoulder with his own. "Supurna! How are you doing?"

"I'm alright, thanks." Her blue eyes seemed a little gloomier than usual. "I'm sorry to be abrupt, but I have a really urgent mission." She glanced up at the sky worriedly. "Did you guys notice anything when you looked up at the sky?" Ben shook his head and I frowned, thinking back to when I had been on Latias' back. Truthfully, I had been so desperate to keep my mind off of Ben that I didn't really notice anything that was going on around me. I shook my head as well. Supurna bit her bottom lip nervously. Ben tilted his head upward and studied the sky.

"Blue skies, white clouds, and the bird Pokémon are…huh? I don't see any bird Pokémon." He shaded his eyes and scanned the clouds. I lifted my head and looked around as well—realizing that he was right. "Hey! What are those Pokémon that are flying around so fast?" Supurna's frown deepened and I realized that this was what was causing her to be so gloomy.

"The bird Pokémon got so scared and hid somewhere when those three appeared," she whispered. "The three legendary birds—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres."

Ben frowned. "It almost looks like they're upset about something. They're flying around like crazy." He looked expectantly at Supurna. The bird-loving girl shook her head.

"I don't know what they're upset about." She looked bitter as she scanned the skies again. "The bird Pokémon are terrified because of those three." She looked desperately at the two of us. "Please, I want you to try calming those three down so that Oblivia's bird Pokémon can stop feeling so threatened."

"Of course." Ben nodded at her before turning to me. "Just like our old adventures, eh?" He grinned at me. I rolled my eyes at him and smiled.

"Three months isn't old," I remarked after the two of us did our poses. He shrugged and called for Staraptor as I signed for Latias.

* * *

"This is a little strange," Ben mused as we flew through the sky. "The Golden Armor shouldn't be influencing them anymore, but those legendary birds are acting wackier than my aunt's Aipom when he gets ahold of chocolates!" I snorted at his analogy, but nodded in agreement.

"Hey you two! It's been a while!" Startled, Ben and I flew to the side as a man on a red Z.Z. Flier raced by. He quickly turned around to face us.

"Red Eyes!" He saluted to me and nodded to Ben. Immediately, my partner's expression became suspicious.

"It's been a while," he agreed, "but you haven't been up to something bad anymore, right?" He asked scathingly. Red Eyes' eyes glittered with amusement.

"I'll leave that up to your imagination," he replied smoothly. Amused, I rolled my eyes. Ben shot me an irritated look and begrudgingly turned his attention back to Red Eyes. I glared at him—Red Eyes might've been our enemy at first, but truthfully he wasn't such a bad guy. _His Pokémon were well taken care of, well loved, and definitely extremely protective of him_, I remembered. "What's going on up here anyway? Even when I go on a stroll through the sky, I almost never see any Pokémon other than the legendary trio." He nodded toward the sky behind him, frowning. "It's rather lonely." Ben was growling lowly into his mike and I was growing more and more irritated as it traveled into my earpiece.

"They're all afraid of Moltres and the others, so they're hiding." I told him, ignoring the look that Ben gave me.

"I see. So that's the reason…Thanks for the info!" He shot a wink in my direction and disappeared in the clouds. Ben turned to glower at me. I let out a long sigh.

"Okay, okay, Ben, I'm sorry. I didn't know he'd do that. I thought he'd help." I told him truthfully. "I thought that since he wasn't part of the Pinchers anymore, he would show a bit of compassion…" Ben let out a long sigh.

"It's alright. Let's just fly around and find them, then." He nodded at me, but I couldn't help but shake the feeling that he hadn't actually forgiven me.

* * *

"Crimson." Red Eyes' expression softened as he nodded at me. "As always, you just keep getting better and better. You win." He sent a warning look in Ben's direction, who looked suspiciously at his Blaziken. "And to get things straight—I'm not using a Control Gauntlet anymore. You can count on that." He smiled. "That was fun. Thanks." He dropped the armor on the ground. "I was kidding about the money. I just wanted one last battle. Crimson? Would you like to do the honors?" I hesitated before walking forward to take the armor. He leaned down to help me pick it up.

His hand brushed against mine and a piece of paper was pressed to my palm. I looked up in surprise, but all I saw in his eyes was a guarded expression. "Read it later," he mouthed. I subtly glanced at Ben before looking back at Red Eyes and nodded. His eyes softened. "Laters, Crimson," he whispered before taking a step back and taking off on his Z.Z Flier. I lifted my head to watch him fly away and whispered my farewells.

* * *

"Oh, and Crimson? Ben?" Ben and I turned around just as we reached the doorway. Professor Hastings walked up to us and told us to put our hands out in front of us. He then pressed something into the palms of our hands. "We'll be going back to the Ranger Union in a week so we can celebrate _this_." Confused, Ben and I looked down at what he put in our hands. When I looked up, the only warning I got was a huge grin from Ben before he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. Smiling into his neck, I clenched the badge in my hand as I leaned back to meet Ben's eyes. Our recent endeavors had finally upgraded us to a Precious Gem.

"Crimson, I think I'm going to spend my first day of vacation researching rare and precious stones with you," Ben mused, grinning happily at the blank silver badge in his hand*.

* * *

Red Eyes did a quick pose in the middle of the living room before stepping out the door. Laughing, I ran after him, nodding to Nema and the others. "Was that really necessary?" He turned at the sound of my voice, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Well…I _had_ to pose one last time," he admitted. The two of us laughed for a bit on the front lawn until I was aware of something staring at me. I quickly glanced back at the house and caught a flash of red and blue before the curtains pulled shut. _Nema_, I thought fondly. "I'm glad that you actually opened the paper up. I seriously thought you were going to throw it away." I wrinkled my nose at him.

"Well, think about how surprised I was when it turned out to be your phone number and the words 'call me'." I replied dryly. Red Eyes grinned at me for a few more seconds before checking his watch.

"I gotta go." I blinked, amused.

"What, more Pokémon to pinch?" I teased. His red eyes looked at me as if I was crazy, but his smile was filled with amusement.

"I'll leave that to your imagination. After all, if I am…" He trailed off, giving me a smirk. "…at least all I'll get to battle you again, eh?" I laughed.

"If you say so. Thanks for the fragments."

"No problem, Crimson, no problem." He winked at me before taking off on his Z.Z Flier. I huffed and couldn't help but smile. Red Eyes was definitely the flirty type and I have to say, he did make by day brighter after being brushed off by Ben and his quest to capture Pokémon for Murph. _Well, I guess Murph didn't tell him that I already won that quest three days ago…_I thought to myself. I smiled and then rolled my eyes. _Oh well!_

* * *

I awoke to something breathing softly on my face. Blinking, I shaded my eyes and saw Raikou hovering over me. "Hey," I murmured, lifting a hand and stroking his cheek. A soft rumble came from him as he closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. I sat up against something firm and warm, yawning. I looked behind me and quickly did a double take. Entei had curled around me like a Growlith*, purring happily as he stirred and stretched. A blue and white creature stood in front of me, his purple mane flowing out from behind him.

He made a low crooning sound as he offered me a lunchbox. I blinked at him and took it in my hand. Cautiously, I lifted opened the lid. Inside was a scribbled note—_Ben's handwriting_, I noted—tossed atop two containers. I picked up the note and scanned over it quickly.

_Hey Crimson! I was looking around for you because Rand reported that you didn't come home last night. Leanne gave me a lunchbox that supposed to be your lunch and your breakfast in case I find you. I was walking along until Suicune appeared in front of me. I was pretty surprised when he suddenly lowered himself down like he always did when you climbed onto his back. He took me to where you were and I was surprised to see that you had curled up with Entei and Raikou, who had made most of a circle around you. There was a bit of grass flattened on the other side, so I guess Suicune woke up early and found me hanging around. Anyway, I had to get back on Suicune's back so I could go back to Rand's house and get your lunchbox (sorry, forgot) and I wasn't able to come back with it because Rand wanted me to go on a patrol with him. Anyway, we'll be hanging around Reinbow and Mitonga if you wanna find us._

_Your partner,_

_Ben_

I smiled at the note and folded it up neatly before putting it in my pocket. Suicune nuzzled my face—his face was a little wet from the rain, I suppose—and took off. Raikou stretched and yawned loudly before doing the same. Entei, however, lounged around with me and waited until I had finished my breakfast to lick the container clean. I watched, slightly curious yet horrified for Leanne to get the containers back with Entei's saliva smeared all over the sides. Entei yawned and nuzzled me for a couple more minutes until I decided that it was time to go back to Weber and tell him that I had completed his quest.

Yesterday, I had run around all over Oblivia to try to rebuild the different stone monuments that the Pinchers had destroyed when taking the Emblems of the three legendary dogs. Afterwards, I had been so exhausted that I had passed out somewhere near the pond that was by the old mansion. Entei, Suicune, and Raikou must've come to me and stayed the night with me to show their thanks for my actions. The fire beast let out another loud yawn and licked his chops lazily. "Thanks, Entei," I whispered into his fur, comfortable against the soft pelt. "But…" I yawned. "I really hafta go." Entei gave my face one last lick and took off just like the others had done. I smiled after him and prepared my Styler to call Latias.

* * *

"I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get to join you when you captured Lugia," Ben commented as we watched the sunrise on The Union. "I would've much rather come along than run around patrolling."

"Well, it's alright." I replied, tracing the wood grain. "You were busy after all." I glanced at him and felt my breath escape me. His brown eyes almost glowed amber in the setting sun. Ben looked up and caught my gaze. I was faintly aware of him leaning a little closer as both of us found it unable to break away. "It's not polite to stare." The words left my mouth breathlessly before I had even thought of them. Ben didn't even blink as he continued to lean closer. He cracked a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes as he ducked his head down.

"Well," he breathed against my lips, "I'm not staring now, am I?" My heart fluttered and my eyes closed as he pressed a soft kiss to my lips. When he pulled away, I didn't look away like a flustered schoolgirl like I had always imagined my first reaction would be to my first kiss. Instead, I leaned in for more.

"Cheeky," I muttered, recapturing his lips in another kiss. I felt him smile in my kiss and the feeling of completion and satisfaction I had experienced on the day that I summoned Ho-Oh returned the second he began to kiss back.

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

First of all, let me get something straight. Crimson, floating platforms are freaking cool. _I want floating platforms at the Ranger Union_, I whined inwardly when Crimson brushed my idea off. _**Why not install one at your house? It'll be enough for you**_, Reason suggested. Instinct smiled wickedly. **Actually, why don't you go and **_**marry**_** Crimson and install it in your house! **_**Instinct!**_ Reason scolded. _**Don't go around saying things like that!**_ He cast a cautious look in my direction and moved forward to whisper, _**he's not sure of his feelings yet, remember?**_ A sigh left me as I heard his words, clear as day. _You know, it really doesn't matter if you whisper or not—I can hear you just fine._

I sighed and muttered, "then we'll just have to hire Salamances or Dragonites then," under my breath. Crimson looked back at me, a playful gleam in her blue eyes.

"What was that?" She teased. I gave a look but I felt my irritation fade when she smiled again. I reached out and grabbed her hand just as we got through the doorway.

"Hey Crimson, when all of this is done…" I was faintly aware of my cheeks growing hotter as each second passed. "W-would—" _Would you want to see me as something more than a friend?_

**Whoa, whoa, whoa, HEY! YOU!** Startled, I let go of Crimson's arm and Instinct glared at me. **Not you, idiot. THAT STEELHEAD OVER THERE! STAP LOOKIN' AT HER LIKE THAT!** I blinked and looked up, seeing a Steelhead practically molest Crimson with his eyes. With a growl, I stepped forward, ready to block his view if necessary. **YOU SHOW 'EM, CHAMP!** Instinct cheered. Reason, looking extremely unwilling to join in on the cheering, still put in his voice. _**That's no way to look at a girl!**_He scolded, looking extremely irritated.

* * *

**Y'know, I'm pretty sure that guy was **_**high**_, Instinct mused, drawing circles with his finger. Reason scowled at him. _**How would you know?**_ Instinct looked at him as if he were insane. **Duh, Instinct. **_Knock it off, you two_, I thought irritably. _I had enough problems with the Steelheads—don't make me lump you guys too._

"Which one…?" I looked up to see Crimson staring helplessly at the three entrances. Immediately, an old memory unfolded of my mother leading my siblings and I through the forest that bordered our house. She brought us to her meadow by the stream and told us how to get home if we were ever lost.

"Uh…_The first and righteous path is right, so right is the right fork in the road._" Before I even had thought of what I was going to say next, my mom's saying popped up in my head. Crimson looked at me with a mixture of surprise and amusement.

"That sounds…horribly biased." I blushed and rubbed the back of my head.

"It was something my mom always liked to say…"

* * *

"Crimson?" I shouted, tiptoeing carefully around on the clouds that Hocus had created as part of his "illusion". "Crimson? Ukulele Pichu? Where are you guys?" Gardevoirs and Misdreavi passed around me, floating along as if nothing was wrong. If anything, they blocked my view even more. "Crimson?"

"…_CHUU!_" Startled, I looked to my left to see lightning come down in waves behind a pillar of clouds. The fluffy white clouds seemed to be torn up by the electricity. _Pichu_, I thought in my mind.

"Pichu!" I called, running toward that direction, carefully hopping over gaps and balancing myself on precariously thin clouds. What I saw next made my heart leap into my throat.

"_Crimson!_" I leapt forward to grab her under the arms and heave her upward. She had been dangling off the side of the clouds, face bright red as she tried to hold on. Breathing heavily, she stared at me with wide blue eyes. I shuddered in relief before hugging her close. "Oh god, I thought I lost you when Hocus separated us in this…" I looked around, frowning as I couldn't find a word for it. "…place. Thank god Pichu used his lightning." I smiled when Ukulele Pichu scrambled back over to where we were sitting. "It would've taken me forever to find you otherwise."

"'Tis a pity!" Immediately, I felt my rage bubble. Hocus. He was the center of this mess. _Oh, you're going to get it_, I growled, standing protectively in front of Crimson.

* * *

Crimson winced for the fifth time and I couldn't help but feel guiltier each time she did that. After her tussle with Arley's Regigigas, Crimson's back ached so much that that she could barely walk without collapsing after a couple of steps. Each time that thing took a step, the entire ground would shake. Not to mention, randomly fired hyper beams didn't make the situation any better as Pichu and I had to sneak around the room and duck whenever we heard a humming noise. Arley disappeared in a similar fashion to Hocus and I had to help Crimson back onto her feet. It wasn't long before she actually ended up leaning on me and I had to drag her back to where Nema was.

When Nema said that she had some medicinal patches, Crimson looked like she had found her savior. When my partner asked about those, Nema turned toward Pichu and I with a threat on her lips. "Turn around boys, or I'll break your Styler and your ukulele." I gulped audibly and turned around immediately, trying hard to ignore the pleasured sighs that left Crimson's mouth a couple of seconds later. _Don't listen to them, don't listen to them, don't listen…_As usual, Instinct popped up, a roguish smile on his face. **Sooooo**, he started innocently despite the wicked grin on his face. **Enjoying yourself lately?** I grit my teeth at him. _You. Are. So. Sick._ He laughed and waved his hand at me. **Come on Kiddo, you're not **_**that**_** much in control over your little buddy down south. You won't be until you're older, that is**, he mused.

I glared at him. _And how do you know this?_ He snorted and looked at me as if I were stupid. **Because I'm instinctive?** He replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I groaned inwardly and tried not to let Crimson bother me. "Hey Ben!" I was about to turn my head around, but I remembered Nema's threat on time and turned my head slightly to the side. "Do you want Nema and I to put these patches on you too?" My cheeks flushed. _D-d-does she know what she's saying? _I spluttered. **Rrawwr**, Instinct looked very pleased. **That girl's good. She sees riiiigggghhhht through ya.** He chuckled. **But then again, who doesn't? **He paused for a second before arching an eyebrow. **Ya know, she's waitin' for yer answer.**

"Uh-ah-buh-No, it's okay!" I stammered. _Dammit!_ I wanted to kick myself for how stupid I sounded. "I'll just-uh-get Pichu to do it for me real quick. Right buddy?" I nudged him frantically, begging with my eyes. Ukulele Pichu looked at me for a few long seconds and sighed in defeat. Then he nodded his head once and I heard Nema and Crimson burst into laughter. If it were even possible, my cheeks burned even hotter. "Hurry up already!" I shouted. **You shoulda just accepted**, Instinct drawled. I glared at him. _Shaddup._

* * *

"Nice going, Ben," Crimson continued to pester me about my earlier actions. Once again, her arm was thrown over my shoulders and I was helping to drag her back to Nema. This time, however, I was having a harder time keeping an eye out in case there was a rock in front of her. _Stupid ditto_, I thought bitterly, _why couldn't you avoid ripping her shorts?_ Crimson, whose shorts were considerably _short_ enough, had just been torn so that they almost resembled bikini bottoms. I bit my lip and tried desperately not to look down at her exposed skin. **Someone looks delicious~**, Instinct cooed, laughing when I fumed at him.

Obviously unaware of my inner turmoil, Crimson continued ranting about how I had been extremely brash and insane to insult Kasa's ditto. I glared at Instinct as he waggled his eyebrows at me and quickly turned my attention back to my partner, who was looking straight at me. "I'll drop you if you say anymore," I threatened, although it was the last thing on my mind. I was suddenly aware of how close our faces were and turned my head to the front again.

"If you do, I'll tell Nema and she'll break your Styler." I groaned and muttered a curse underneath my breath. She had a point. I felt her eyes study the side of my face intently. "I thought you were enough of a Zenith fan to know how powerful Dittos can be." I ignored her comment and continued to drag her down the stairs. A few long moments passed in silence and I gathered up the courage to glance at her face again. She looked solemn, wistful even as we headed back to where Nema was.

"You okay?" I saw her bite her lip before nodding.

"Yeah." I narrowed my eyes at her and she tossed me an exasperated look. "Okay, fine, fine. I miss Zenith." I felt a pang as she mentioned her childhood friend's name. She said there was nothing between the two of them…but I couldn't help but feel that her dependency on him made their relationship more loving and less friendly. **What's it to you?** Instinct twirled his fingers and shot me a look. **Why should you care? **_I don't know._ "I miss his Pokémon. And the Aggron, the Gardevoir, and the Gallade that we faced earlier just make me miss them more." I nodded, remembering Zenith's different teams. However, the Gallade was new. She noticed my confusion and quickly added, "the Gallade is his Gardevoir's mate. His name is Ellude." I nodded and waited for her to continue. "And I missed them especially when we fought Kasa and her Ditto. Dopple was a part of my family before he became Zenith's."

I studied her expression carefully before leaning in and whispering, "Well, I'm sure they miss you too." Crimson turned to stare at me for a couple of seconds before her eyes softened and flickered toward my lips. I swallowed awkwardly felt the nervous, fluttery feeling that I had experienced back at Mount Layuda. It almost seemed like our faces were drifting closer until…Nema popped in.

"Crimson!" I flushed from almost being caught by Nema. "Oh my god, what happened to you?" I coughed deep in my throat awkwardly and was quickly chased off by Nema so Crimson could have some privacy when changing.

* * *

Nema sobbed into my shoulder and I held her as I watched Crimson from afar. My stupid Styler snapped again during the battle in the first Mewtwo confrontation, so I wasn't able to go and help Crimson in the second capture. I glanced down sympathetically at Nema, whose fingers were curled tightly into my shirt. She was in no condition to fix my Styler and I wasn't even sure if she had any tools on her.

"…won't be much use for an outfit like that in my world." I lifted my head and bristled as I caught the last of Purple Eyes' words. Suddenly Nema stood up, reached into her lab coat, and flung something at the ex-Pincher. **Damn**, Instinct whistled appreciatively. **She's got quite an arm…**

"_YOU GIVE HIM BACK!_" She screamed. Crimson shot me a terrified look and I quickly dragged Nema to the corner of the room. She struggled in my arms and glared at me as if I were the one who sent her father away.

"Nema, you have to calm down. Rand would never want you to have your emotions take complete control of you." She shook her head at me, jaw clenched stubbornly. "Nema. It doesn't make the situation any better if you're throwing things at Mewtwo. I know you want to avenge your father, and _you will_." I steadied her and watched her carefully when her eyes flashed angrily at me. "But not now. Crimson's got this under control. She's fighting for Rand—all of us are fighting for your father. Nema, you are going to go out there and create new technology to help all of us defeat the Pinchers. That's your destiny." I squeezed her shoulders. "Understand? You are going to be responsible for helping _all of us _take down the bad guys."

She stared blankly at me as her anger ebbed away. Drained, she gave a small nod. I smiled at her and glanced back at Crimson and Purple Eyes. What I saw chilled my blood. The ex-Pincher was throwing himself toward four glowing orbs. Directly in front of him was Crimson, who was also leaping forward. However, just before he could close is fingers around one, the four dispersed. Crimson leapt back and stared at Purple Eyes, who was pointing an accusatory finger to all of us. "_…the end for you too!_"

"W-what do you mean?" Nema clutched onto my arm as the room began to shake. Before long, I had my back against the wall and one arm wrapped securely around Nema's waist. My other hand scrabbled for a grip on one of the pillars.

"The fortress is falling!" Nema shouted, wincing as her voice came out warbled due to the shaking.

"Hold on, everyone!" Crimson called over her shoulder as she tried hard to keep her balance. Ukulele Pichu clung onto her in terror as the two of them stumbled around in the middle of the room. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw what position she was in. She had nothing to brace herself on. Purple Eyes collapsed onto the floor and Crimson stumbled again as she tried her best to keep herself upright.

"Crimson! If something this big falls into the ocean, it'll create a tsunami big enough to swallow all of Oblivia!" Crimson and I shared a look of horror. The blood drained from her face at Nema's words.

"Buzzz…zzz…ers!" I blinked as my Styler began to vibrate on my arm. Crimson and Nema looked around, confused.

"Guys! I'm getting a message!" I yelled. Crimson tried to take a step toward me, but the building shook like it had been struck by lightning and she fell on one knee. I stared at her helplessly as I held onto Nema. _**Don't be unreasonable!**_ Reason scolded, bracing himself against the wall of my brain. _**You're holding onto Nema right now! Don't endanger all three of your lives by going out and trying to get Crimson to safety! **_**Well Crimson could die too if she's left out there!** Instinct roared back at him, balanced precariously in the middle. He glared at me. **I say go for Crimson. Do you want to lose her? Do you want to go back to the Union with her badge in your hands?**

I looked up at Crimson and saw my answer there. She glared at me with a look that threatened to melt off my skin. _That's it_, I decided. _I'll stay here and hold onto Nema._ Reason huffed proudly, crossing his arms as best as he could without falling flat on his face. _**That's my boy! You see? He's reasonable. He favors me!**_ Instinct growled at him but said nothing. _Reason, shut your mouth._ Immediately, the gloating stopped and Reason looked as if I had betrayed him. _I'm not doing this for you or Nema. I'm doing this for Crimson. _

"Zzzz…Can you hear me?" Leanne's voice filled the speakers.

"Leanne!" I yelled. Nema leapt into action at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Mom! Somewhere high…Mt. Latolato…You need to evacuate to Mt. Latolato right away!" Her fingers dug painfully into my shoulders.

"I've been listening to everything that has happened!" Leanne's voice came back through the speaker. "Calm down and listen to what I have to say. I learned something new! It's written in the past that the Hero of Oblivia used the power of the rainbow to encompass the falling Sky Fortress. The rainbow is, in other words…"

"Ho-Oh!" Crimson and I looked at each other in surprise.

"Exactly! If you can summon Ho-Oh, you can save yourselves and everyone else in Oblivia!"

"But you need the Rainbow Grail to call on Ho-Oh!" I grit.

"Actually, let me talk to Crimson about that. Crimson, can you hear me?"

"Yes!" Crimson yelled.

"Alright. When you captured Ho-Oh, did you see a floating Emblem like you usually did when you captured Raikou, Entei, and Suicune?" A thoughtful look appeared on her face.

"I think I saw something!" She called back.

"Does that mean we'll be able to call Ho-Oh with a ranger sign?" I asked.

"It's something we'll have to try! Quickly, get to a place where you can see the sky!" Leanne ordered. Crimson nodded at me before taking a shaky step forward.

"Stay here, Ben! Protect Nema!" I opened my mouth to protest, but she slammed into one of the pillars before I could say anything. She shot me a determined look and disappeared outside. I clung onto Nema and tried to talk calmly into her hair.

"It's alright, Nema." She looked up at me with her tear-damp face. I hugged her to me. "Everything's going to be alright." I swallowed the bitter feeling in my throat as my eyes began to blur with tears. "Crimson's on her way."

* * *

"Crimson! Crimson!" Nema rushed over to my partner, shaking her frantically. I could only watch in horror—did she get hurt during the summoning? Had the journey been too much? Was Crimson gone…forever? **I told you—you might regret it**, Instinct murmured wistfully. Reason turned his head away and studied the ground. My breath caught in my throat. It was getting harder to breathe.

The brown haired girl shuddered and got onto her knees, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. Pichu tackled her and the two of them hugged for a couple of minutes. Suddenly, I could breathe again. _Crimson…I can't bear to lose you…_I thought. Instinct watched me with guarded eyes. _I…I can't…_He sighed before addressing me. **Ben. Can you stand losing her? **I blinked at him in confusion but the answer was already on the tip of my tongue. _No. Of course not. _**Do you get angry when other people look at her the wrong way? **_Of course. She deserves to be respected. _Instinct rolled his eyes but continued on with his questions. **Do you want to protect her?** I hesitated before answering. _Yes. _The look in his eyes grew more intense. **Is she the most important to you?** That's where I faltered.

Was Crimson more important to me than the Ranger Union? Than my Staraptor? Than Oblivia and all the Pokémon in the world? My mind said no, but my heart had a different answer. _Yes._ The look in Instinct's eyes faded to a mixture of sorrow and peacefulness. **Do you love her?** I took a sharp intake of breath and stared at him. Reason watched me with shocked eyes, but he didn't say anything. Instinct watched me carefully, his brown eyes scanning my face. I stared at my hands, at my feet, at everything around me. I searched my heart and mind for my answer and my eyes flickered back to Instinct as the truth washed over me.

_Yes._

* * *

I aware of the tension between Crimson and I as we landed at Rand's house. Earlier that morning, I had avoided her until breakfast, when I knew I couldn't hold up the act any longer. Later on, while we were flying over Oblivia, I had made a comment about how we should be experienced enough to be in charge of our own regions. There was a small edge of pain in her voice when she asked me if I like to patrol on my own. My heart clenched painfully at her words. _No, Crimson, it's not that! I'm just too embarrassed that I'll make a fool of myself in front of you, _I thought to myself. _That and…I'm in love with you_, I added shyly. Instinct rolled his eyes at me and let out a long sigh.

I had purposely changed the topic when Crimson pressed the matters. Still, it nearly broke my heart at the conflicted look that Crimson had on her face when our Staraptors dropped us off.

* * *

Flushing wildly, I raced out of Rand's house and leapt onto Staraptor's back. The bird Pokémon gave me a concerned look but said nothing as he flew up into the sky. Rand, before leaving to go onto The Union, had commented about how Crimson and I were more than capable of handling regions on our own. When I agreed with him to defend my earlier point, I noticed Crimson chewing on her lip with a dejected look on her face. _Bad move,_ I thought to myself, inwardly wincing.

Not to mention, I had gotten completely flustered when Nema suggested to Crimson that I should go on a date with her. If anything, I had made a complete fool out of myself when I blabbered something about separate patrols and took off to go to the Aqua Resort. _**Well, love is irrational. You want to make yourself look appealing and also have a very independent air,**_ Reason weighed the two sides. Instinct scowled at him. **I just say as long as she loves ya. You may think you're doing the right thing, but all I see is you hurting your relationship with her.** He shot me a funny look. **And what the hell's with this whole "separate patrols" crap anyway? That's ruining your partnership!**

_I know_, I wailed inwardly as I steered Staraptor toward Sophian Island. _But I can't help but be embarrassed around her._

* * *

I stared up at Weber's ceiling as I shifted restlessly on the bed. The last time I had slept here, it had been with Crimson curled up next to me. **I told ya you would miss her.** Instinct scowled at me as I reached a hand out in front of me. **She's a strong woman. She won't come runnin' after you like you hoped she would. If anything, she's angry right now. She's an alpha, Kiddo. **_**Alpha, betas, and omegas are strictly dog Pokémon lingo! **_Reason snapped. Instinct glared at him but turned his attention back to me. **Anyway, she's probably going to do everything she can to avoid you like you avoided her today**, Instinct mumbled, trying hard to fight off Reason's flailing arms when the logical persona launched himself at the very impulsive persona.

I said nothing and stared up at the ceiling, resting my outstretched arm on my forehead. Instinct watched me with narrowed eyes. **Lights out, Kiddo**, he muttered before he and Reason disappeared.

* * *

If anything, I was pissed. Red Eyes had popped up twice during our mission to calm down and capture the three legendary birds. Not to mention, I wasn't really appreciating how Crimson trusted him enough to give him confidential information. The first time I said something about it, Crimson shot me an exasperated look and said something about how people can change. The second time, I had to watch from a distance as Red Eyes "helped" Crimson pick up the golden armor. **I think he likes her**, Instinct said, twirling a pencil between his fingers before pointing at Reason. **This guy's an idiot if he thinks otherwise.** Reason scowled at him.

_**They may share a friendly acquaintance rather than a so-called "crush" as you are suggesting**_, Reason hissed in reply. Instinct shrugged and smirked at him. **Hey, I wasn't implying anything, but Ben? I'm not the one who called it a crush. He did.** In the background, I could hear Reason spluttering in outrage. _Here we go again_, I thought to myself.

"Crimson? Ben?" I turned to see Professor Hastings walking toward us. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Did he have something else for us to do before we got to go on vacation? I almost groaned aloud—staying at the Ranger Union didn't mean vacation—it meant more training and boring exercises. In other words, we had been working for nine months straight. "We'll be going back to the Ranger Union in a week so we can celebrate _this._" He pressed something cold and smooth into my hand. I looked at it and nearly had a heart attack.

Crimson looked up at me and I could help myself as I threw my arms around her. I could feel her smile against my skin as I lifted her off the ground for a couple seconds. She pulled back to look into my eyes. "Crimson, I think I'm going to spend my first day of vacation researching rare and precious stones with you." Her eyes shone happily at my words and the two of us smiled at each other.

* * *

Breathless, I jumped off of Suicune to see Crimson curled up against Entei's side. Raikou slept at her feet and stirred slightly when I walked closer. Tiptoeing as gently as I could, I reached Crimson's side and brushed the hair out of her face. She looked peaceful and content lying against the legendary fire beast, her hands pressed against his warm fur. Suicune nudged me from behind and I nodded at him before getting back onto his back. The two of us headed back to Rand's house and I quickly scribbled onto a note before stuffing the paper into the lunchbox that Leanne had prepared for Crimson. Wordlessly, I handed it to Suicune, who took the strap delicately between his teeth and disappeared.

* * *

If anything, I was disappointed by the fact that I seemed to be so behind when it came to the news about what Crimson was doing. When I had finally finished Murph's quest, he had told me that Crimson had already finished it three days ago*. When I returned to Rand's house, he sent me out on a patrol while he was interrogating two pinchers. "By the way, Crimson's out in the East Sea trying to save Blue Eyes," he had told me before I left his living room. Now, aboard The Union, I had found out that I missed Crimson's amazing Lugia capture.

"I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see you catch Lugia," I muttered as I stared out at the sunrise. "I would've much rather come along than run around patrolling." Crimson was silent for a second as she traced the wood grain on the side of the ship.

"It's alright," she murmured, "You were busy after all." I frowned and shifted a little. Crimson, catching this movement, looked up to meet my eyes. She looked beautiful in the golden light of the setting sun. Her hair glowed orange, brown, and gold. Her eyes sparkled with a light I had never seen before. Her lips parted and before I knew it, I was already leaning in. Crimson seemed to be aware of this as her eyelashes fluttered at me. "It's not polite to stare," she whispered breathlessly as our breaths began to mingle. I felt the corner of my mouth twitch, but I was too caught up in the moment to actually care. _She's not leaning away!_ I thought delightedly.

"Well, I'm staring now, am I?" I breathed, relishing the soft caresses of her breath against my lips. Her eyes clouded and fluttered closed as I pressed our lips together in a single kiss. When we parted, I hovered close by to see whether she had liked it or not. That one kiss had taken my breath away from me and refused to return it. I studied Crimson's eyes cautiously. She narrowed them at me and I was about to take a step back when she leaned forward again.

"Cheeky," she muttered before kissing me. My heart felt elated at this gesture. I smiled against her lips before returning her kiss.

"_Click!_" Startled, my eyes flew open and I leapt back. Crimson looked at me in confusion and opened her mouth to say something. However, Nema interrupted her before she could speak.

"Awww! You two were so cute together!" I turned to see Nema standing there with a pout on her face, holding her famous "Shutter-Bugging Dark Camera" in her hands. She winked at Crimson, whose face was…undeniably crimson.

Catcalls came from Murph, who was smiling at us. I looked helplessly at Crimson and she burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she fell to her knees. Looking around at the people around me, I couldn't help but start laughing as well. Everyone was smiling at us as the two of us finished off our giggles and I reached a hand out to help Crimson up.

"Partners?" She smiled before taking my hand.

"More like lovers," she whispered in my ear, smiling as I butted my forehead against hers. She glanced back toward the others, who were watching us with knowing smiles. "Uh…let's go get some privacy," she said quickly before dragging me away from the side of the ship. I couldn't stop smiling as Murph's catcalls continued to follow us until Crimson shut the cabin door behind me. "Ben." She kissed me again and I melted happily in her arms.

* * *

A/N: I have to say, I had butterflies dancing around in my stomach while I was writing this chapter. Talk about mood swings! I'd go from depressed Crimson to happy Crimson to embarrassed Ben to guilty Ben...the list just goes ON & ON!

So this is the last summary chapter of the entire series! The chapters to come are going to be about...uh...the story I had in mind! This was really a long read, but I hope you enjoyed it!

As for Ben, I really struggled with him in this part. As a girl, I worship the mushy and absolutely romantic parts of relationships-so in other words, I have no idea what the hell goes on within a guy's head when he's dating someone. Hopefully, I got it right enough.

And I don't mean for Ben to be a pervert when he tries really hard not to look at Crimson's legs-I'm sure everyone's eyes have been drawn to exposed skin. It's natural-even if I deny it myself. But that was making a point about something-I don't really like the ranger costumes. They're wayyyy too short on the girl's account!

If anyone wanted to know, Crimson's birthday is June 5th. Ben's is January 15th.

Hopefully, you're enjoying _**Reason**_and **Instinct's** different parts of the story. I had a great time writing about them bickering back and forth.

*If you remember earlier, Crimson was talking about how gemstone rangers were given a blank badge to customize.

*"Curled up like a Growlithe" I had intended to make it "curled up like a dog around a fire", but I don't think have dogs in Pokemon...

*"Finished three days ago" If you can remember from Crimson's PoV, there's a small scene where she comments on finishing Murph's quest three days before she met up with Ben to get the fragments of a stone monument.

I hope all of you end up giving me an answer about how I should work with PoVs on the Poll posted on my profile. If you can't because you're not a member of FanFic (I'm not sure if this is possible, but it might be), just review your answer, I suppose.

Review & Rate please! I really want to see if this story is worth writing several chapters for! Just because I love the characters doesn't mean you guys do! Support is necessary! I sound like I'm fundraising for starving African Children! Review and shut me up!


	7. Author's NoteKey

Okay, so I was kinda worried that people were getting confused with all that was going on in the story so far. Here's general information if you wanted to know:

Ben's Birthday: January 15th

Summer's/Crimson's Birthday: June 5th

Regular ranger rankings: White, red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, orange-yellow, yellow, yellow-green, green, blue-green, blue, blue-violet/indigo, purple, black. They rise a rank every time they do very well on an assessment and complete missions.

Specialty ranger rankings: copper, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, gemstone. I'm aware that copper is an alloy of bronze, but I felt like we needed more rankings in the specialty system. These people rise every time they succeed in a campaign/assist over 20x people in their stationed regions. Over time, they will need to assist more and more people to rise up even further. In Ben and Summer's case, they saved Oblivia twice, so that's why they skyrocketed up the ranks.

_Italics_means Ben/Crimson is thinking. There is a quick heading that tells you if it's Ben speaking or not. For every single chapter (unless noted at the VERY BEGINNING), Crimson will start off from her PoV. Afterwards, it's Ben's (it'll be in the left hand corner just under a page break) turn.

_**Bold Italics**_ means that Reason (Ben's voice of reason) is talking.

Bold tells you that Instinct (Ben's instinct) is speaking. It is highly improbable for me to create Instinct and Reason for Crimson as well.


	8. Chapter 7

Yayyyyy! First chapter about actual story plot I had prepared myself!

Quick heads up: Ben is not in this chapter. In fact, I had no idea how to write this chapter in Ben's PoV. You'll hear from him soon enough though.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the quotes used in this passage.

* * *

I buried my face deeper into the warmth, faintly aware of someone chuckling as gentle fingers tapped my cheeks. Frowning , I turned my face away, sleepily begging for a couple more minutes. I felt myself being turned onto my back as a warm breath tickled my face. I groaned, lifting my arms to block whatever was blowing in my face when I realized that I was being pinned on my back. An amused rumble came from above me. "Crimson, it' s time to wake up." I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head from side to side.

"Five…five…just five more minutes…" I groaned. Something soft tickled my cheek before delicate but insistent kisses were scattered all over my face. I lifted my hand and swatted at the thing before my face, refusing to open my eyes. "Lemme sleep!" I whined, batting blindly. A hand caught my wrist and the rain of kisses didn't stop. Grumbling, I cracked open an eye to see Ben hovering over me, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement. I blinked wearily at him before studying my surroundings.

We were in our room in the Ranger Union. Ben's bed was nicely made while mine was in a messy tangle of sheets. Ben was leaning over me with both of my hands pinned down on either side of my face. I flushed, automatically awake. If anyone was to come in right now, we'd be caught rather…interesting position. Ben seemed to notice my discomfort and his smile grew even larger. "Still interested in sleeping?" He teased, leaning in and nuzzling my temple. I felt my cheeks heat up as I twisted from side to side to a void his eyes.

"Get off!" I cried indignantly as I tried to rise from my bed. Ben chuckled and shifted so that he was pinning me down with his body. He kissed my reddened cheeks and hummed happily in my ear. After getting over my embarrassing predicament and the lingering fear of being caught, I began to readily accept the kisses he pressed onto me.

Ben had definitely become more assertive and affectionate when we started dating. He constantly wanted to hold my hand or nuzzle my hair or kiss my nose regardless of whether we were in public or private. We had received some knowing glances from Julian and Jamie as well as so me hoots from the other rangers we had befriended over the months. Ben, in his defense, always shot back some variation of how they were always jealous of our relationship. Although I was definitely okay with being lavished with attention by Ben, I had a much harder time with having other people pay unnecessary attention to me. Not to mention, Ben had gotten much cuddlier as the weeks passed. At one point, Ben gave up sleeping in his own bed and I would often find him curled up with me in the mornings. Sure he slept on his own from time to time, but he usually spent the nights with me under my blankets.

Of course, I'd forced him to promise that he wouldn't tell anyone about it because I was absolutely terrified of being accused of "getting it on" with Ben. Truthfully, we hadn't really made it past the kissing stage yet. Our relationship ha d lasted about ten months since we had last departed from Oblivia. Nema and I exchanged letters frequently while Ben often called Rand and Booker to hear what was going on in the region while we were gone. Hopefully, if Professor Hastings was feeling generous, he would send Ben and I back to Oblivia for a couple of months.

"Crimson," Ben breathed against my jaw, kissing his way down my neck. "What are you thinking of?" I shivered at his touch and smiled when his lips returned to meet mine.

"Oh, Oblivia." I replied, lacing my fingers through his hair. I glanced over at my clock but the pillow blocked my way. "How much time do we have left?" Ben paused for a second to check the screen before going back to kissing my ear.

"About half an hour."

"You woke me up early this time, didn't you?" I flicked his forehead gently.

"Well, I couldn't stand how cute you were while you were sleeping and how much cuter you are when you're awake," he murmured, pressing soft kisses against my temple. I snorted and rolled my eyes at him.

"Smooth-talker," I accused although my voice held no sting. Ben shot me a wicked grin before leaning back down to kiss me again.

* * *

"Over here, love birds!" Jamie called from where she was sitting down with her partner. Ben and I smiled at each other before heading over to their table and setting our trays down. "I'm still jealous of your badges." She pointed at the badge that was pinned to our scarves. "Not to mention your dog tags too."

Professor Hastings had decided that every experienced and fully-trained ranger would be given dog tags to identify their rank and names if the badges were ever to be lost. Ben and I had decided on claiming the Garnet as our own gemstone— "But your name fits perfectly with the color!" He had claimed—and designed our badges with a small replica of The Union, the emblems of the three legendary dogs as well as Latias', and our status in the middle.

Truthfully, I had attempted to veto the emblems because they could be used by other people, but Ben convinced me otherwise. He told me that they were important figures in our lives and Nema was the only one who knew how to install the sign mode onto Stylers. Begrudgingly, I accepted, but now I was feeling rather happy that he managed to convince me to do so. Our badges, as was everyone else who wasn't stationed permanently in a region, were kept in a well hidden safe. After all, a badge made of platinum with a small jewel placed within it was worth a lot of money. Ben and I were given replicas made of platinum and fake jewels in case we ever lost our badge.

Our dog tags were simple and hand our names on it. On the other side of our name , however, we were allowed to have an engraving of something. Ben and I had decided separately on what should be on the backs of ours so neither of us knew what was on the each other's.

"You'll get one soon enough," I assured her. She and Julian were undoubtedly talented since they had risen six ranks since my birthday last year. They were at green-blue now and were working more independently from each other. Rangers usually worked alone when it came to being stationed permanently, but the partnerships were made because there would be at least two rangers stationed to a certain area of a region.

"Ben!" Everyone at our table turned to see Lunick waving from the entrance of cafeteria. "Professor Hastings is asking for you!" Ben frowned for a second but bid farewell to our friends. He leaned in to give me a quick peck on the nose before hopping out of his seat and heading after the dark haired boy. I flushed but waved respectfully to Lunick be fore watching the two boys disappear into the hallway.

"What do you think it could be?" Jamie asked.

"I don't know. I've been going on a lot of solo missions lately," I replied, hastily taking a bite of my toast. A warm weight appeared on my leg and I looked down to see Ukulele Pichu sitting on my lap.

"Pichu!" He greeted, butting my chin affectionately. I smiled and nuzzled his head.

"Well, not really solo," I corrected myself.

"You're lucky to have something other than a Staraptor. Practically every ranger has one," Julian told me, wrinkling his nose.

"Aww, well it's not that bad." I looked up, startled, to see Kellyn standing behind me with his Pachirisu on his shoulder. "Staraptors are extremely valuable Pokémon. I mean, Pachirisu and I have to catch one in order to fly around all the time." He chuckled as his Pokémon scrambled off of him to climb onto my shoulder . "Well, this is interesting. Pachirisu' s usually wary of strangers."

"Crimson's got a talent when it comes to Pokémon," Jamie told him as Pichu scooted over to make room for the squirrel Pokémon. "She's always surrounded by them. "

"Sounds like you have a natural affinity." He blinked kindly at me. Kellyn was one of the younger Top Rangers who had decided against joining the specialty ranks. Although he was the youngest, he was a good two years older than me. Sven and Wendy were well in their mid-twenties. "By the way, congrats on becoming a gemstone ranger. Sven and Wendy feel a bit humbled by your presence now," he joked. He turned around and looked around him. "Kate and I were wondering if you'd like to join us for an obstacle course later. Around two sound good?" He asked. I frowned, remembering my schedule.

"Well I—"

"Of course!" Jamie leered at me before smiling up at Kellyn. "She'd be happy to. " I stared at her with disbelief. I had promised to go water skiing with them in the afternoon. Kellyn, oblivious to our disagreement, nodded happily before flashing me a bright smile.

"Great! See you in front of the Ranger Union at two, then." He nodded to his Pachirisu and the squirrel Pokémon scrambled out of my lap and leapt onto his shoulder again. The two of them waved goodbye before walking away. I turned my attention back to Jamie, who casually to take a bite of her sausages.

"Jamie! I was going to go water skiing with you!" Her blue eyes flickered up to my face and she swallowed her bite of food slowly.

"You're being invited by a Top Ranger," she pointed out.

"It doesn't matter! You're my friend. I should be able to spend time with you." She glanced at Julian who was watching her with steady eyes. Jamie let out a sigh.

"How's about this then—we'll meet up with you around four o'clock at the lake." My eyebrow twitched but I agreed to her suggestion.

"Alright. You may see that practicing with the Top Rangers is a privilege, but spending time with you is much more enjoy able." I grumbled, shoveling eggs in mouth. "No having to be careful about making myself look great and making sure I'm doing everything right. No need to be all plastic-y and fake." Jamie's eyes softened at my words.

"Oh alright, Crimson. Do you want to spend the morning training with us, then?" She offered. I smiled at her and opened my mouth to reply.

"Unfortunately for that, Professor Hastings would like to meet with you," someone objected. I turned to see a blonde man with blue eyes nodding a greeting to me. "I'm Jack Walker." He shook hands with me. "I'm here to escort you to where Professor Hastings is waiting."

"Escorting? But all of us know where Professor Hasting's office is." Julian looked confused. Jack glanced at him and smiled wryly.

"Of course, but he's waiting in another location right now. After all, he had a big assignment for you." I raised an eyebrow at him and grabbed my tray.

"I'll be there in a second. Do you mind waiting by the entrance of the cafeteria ?"

"No problem. I'll expect you in five minutes." He nodded to my friends once more and headed toward the entrance. I reached over and gave Jamie a hug.

"Looks like I'm not going to train with Kellyn and Kate," I said before giving Julian a quickly squeeze. "Do you mind telling them for me?" Jamie shook her head. "Great! I'll see you around, I guess." Jamie and I smiled at each other before I bid everyone goodbye.

"Done?" Jack raised an eyebrow at me when I walked out with Pichu in my arms. I nodded.

Although Ben and I had been back at the Ranger Union for about ten months now, I rarely had any time to work with Jamie and Julian. They were busy being promoted and I was busy doing extremely difficult drills with the professors. We still found time to talk, but it was often limited and over messages rather than face to face.

Jack led me out of the cafeteria and took me around the main building. He opened the door to the administrative offices and guided me into a small room with a map projected on the floor. Professor Hastings, who was talking to Ben looked up and nodded at me. My partner turned around and smiled at me as I made my way into the room. "Good morning, Crimson. I trust you've slept well."

"Yes sir." I replied, shooting Ben a look when he waggled his eyebrows at me. I was fighting hard not to start smiling.

"You're probably wondering why I summoned you here." Professor Hastings lifted his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "I was given a report from Rand several days ago detailing the different inventions that his daughter had managed to create. He stated that she had requested for the Ranger Union to send you back to Oblivia so that you could assist Nema in her research. Of course, Nema offered to donate her successful inventions to the Ranger Union after completion. Would you like to take this offer?"

To go back to my beloved Oblivia? Of course! "Yes sir," I replied, smiling. I glanced at Ben and saw a sweet sadness in his eyes. I frowned at him before glancing back at Professor Hastings. "Professor…is my partner going to be accompanying me there?" The elderly man looked quite conflicted at my question.

"Well, Rand had also requested Ben's services but…there is a request for a specialty ranger in another region. You see the area rangers are finding that there's too much work on their hands and have asked for a specialty ranger. Sven and Wendy are taking a vacation right now and Ben is the only one with a free schedule ." He blinked at me with curious eyes. " Ben has just accepted the position. I wished to summon you to inform you of your partner's location and to give you this quest. The two of you should leave immediately to start packing." He nodded at Jack, who had been patiently standing at the back of the door. "Jack, please escort these two rangers back to the dorms. "

The walk back was in silence and the blonde ranger bid the two of us farewell and good luck. I glanced at Ben when he closed the door behind us. Pichu leapt from my arms and headed to the small basket that was his bed. "Ben?" Before I knew it, I was in a bone-crushing hug and a brown head was buried in my shoulder .

"I'm going to miss you," he whispered. Startled, I lifted a hand to stroke his hair.

"How long are you going to be there?" Ben stiffened before letting out a long sigh.

"I don't know. As long as it takes for Sven and Wendy to return from their break . I wish you could come with me, but you 'll be busy with Nema."

"Ben, you'll probably be done before a year is over," I took his head in my hands and stared in his eyes. "You're that amazing." His brown eyes scanned my face and he let out another sigh.

"If you say so."

"Ben!" I scolded. Amusement flickered in his eyes as he lifted his head and pressed a kiss to my lips. Immediately, my irritation changed into longing. I felt my stomach start to churn. "Why don't we start packing?" I suggested. His brown soulful eyes met mine and he pressed his forehead gently against mine.

"I love you, Crimson," he breathed. I felt my heart prickle and soar.

"I love you too." I closed my eyes to savor the feeling of him being so close. I would miss him for the months to come. Soft lips pressed against mine and his hands pushed softly against my shoulders. I felt myself fall against something soft and my eyes flew open. "Ben—"

"Shhh," he murmured into my ear, kissing me slowly. I broke the kiss to take in air as the sweetness stole my breath. "I won't do anything." His lips pressed ag ainst my ear and I shivered. "Crimson…M y sweet Crimson."

* * *

Ben squeezed my hand one last time as his eyes met mine. "See you later," I whispered, offering a small smile. He nodded and leaned in for one more kiss. My eyes fluttered shut as my mouth parted anticipation. His lips closed over mine and before I knew what was happening , he stole the air from my lungs. My eyes flew open in shock. He was _literally_ stealing the air from my lungs. When he broke away, I took a deep breath into my lungs and stared at him. Even as I took air in, I still felt as if my lungs were constricting. It had truly been a breathtaking kiss.

The corner of his lips curled up into a smile. "I love you, Crimson." He pecked me one last time and mounted Staraptor with a salute in my direction. I watched as he and his Staraptor took off, staring after him until he was a mere speck in the sky. A Drifblim followed slowly after him, carrying his luggage. I turned face Professor Hastings and the Staraptor I was going to ride to Oblivia.

"I'm ready," I told him as Jack hauled my luggage into another Drifblim. Professor Hastings nodded at me.

"Prepare to mount—" A gust of wind nearly knocked him over as a red and white Pokémon streaked into the open room.

"Latii!" Jack gaped as the Pokémon circled me, cooing happily. Professor Hastings looked pleasantly surprised.

"Pichu!" Ukulele Pichu raised his hands and the flying Pokémon lowered her muzzle to blow on them. He turned and hopped up and down excitedly.

"Latias." I stroked her long white neck affectionately. "What are you doing here ? This isn't Oblivia." She chirped at me and turned, hovering low to the ground .

"It seems like she knew you were going to go back to Oblivia," Professor Hastings mused as he studied Latias. He glanced approvingly at me. "Your bond is extremely strong with this Pokémon. She was so excited to see you that she flew all the way over here in order to take to you Oblivia." My heart soared as I looked at Latias. She glanced back at me and nodded toward her back. "Go ahead and get onto Latias. Your luggage should be at Rand's house within a couple of hours." I smiled broadly at Professor Hastings and Jack.

"I'm on my way then!" I called before leaping onto Latias' back. "Let's go, girl," I told her as Pichu situated himself in front of me. I quickly lowered my goggles. "Ready?" Pichu nodded at me and I squeezed Latias' sides. "To Oblivia!" Latias cheered before surging forward, leaving the Ranger Union fading in the distance in seconds. I patted her neck and leaned forward as she picked up speed and zipped through the clouds like a bullet.

"Crimson!" Nema raced forward to hug me as Latias dropped Pichu and I off in front of her house. She abandoned a large metal structure and dropped her screwdriver as she threw her arms open.

"Hey Nema! It's been a while," I laughed as I accepted the enthusiastic hug from her. "You look great." Her eyes sparkled indignantly as she withdrew, looking mock offended.

"Of course I do!" She smiled at me before throwing her arms around me again. "You look amazing too." Nema, now aged sixteen, was just a year and a half younger than Ben and I. She had grown taller since I had last seen her but hadn't changed her choice of clothing. She still wore a white lab coat over a pink top and a tan skirt. "Come on inside! I'm sure mom and papa would be really happy to see you." She ushered me inside, picking up Pichu as she went.

* * *

"Try this! It's the Tiny-Walkie-Talkie-Earpiece that I made last month!" Nema huffed proudly as she presented four tiny black disks. I poked them curiously as she began to explain how to use them. "You see, we were only able to communicate through Ben's Styler before and now I created something that's more portable and easy to hide if you're ever captured." She separated two of the disks and held them out for me. The larger one of the two had a plastic pattern on it. The smaller one seemed to stick to the back. "They're magnetic. The larger one's the speaker where you can listen to people talk. You can adjust the volume on this one right here." She showed me the other two. "The mike's also magnetic. I imagine that you can stick it on the collar of your shirt or on the back of a piece jewelry if necessary. Since jewels aren't always magnetic, I invented some super-sticky-double-sided-stickers so you can stick the mike on the back of anything, really."

"That's so cool!" I ran my fingers over the mike, which had a small dial on the side of it. A small red button was in the middle of the dial and two small up and down arrows were placed on mike. "How do they work?" Nema beamed at my question, as if she had been waiting for it.

"Here's the thing: you register lines and codes. Come over here." She waved me over toward to where she had a small black box hooked up to a computer. "This box here can hold up to five mikes at once. To answer a call or to end one, you press the red button. To make a call, you push on the up and down arrows and the speaker will list off names to you on who owns each mike before pressing the red one to start it. You put the mike in this tiny-mike-charger that I made in order to charge it. It has a pretty strong battery though. You'll only have to charge the mike every two weeks. I've tested it out. Not to mention that, but I think Pichu would be able to charge it for you with his electric shock." She showed me a small rectangular case about the size of my thumb. There was collapsible plug on the back.

"The box that I have hooked up to the computer lets you register codes. Each mike has its own—see?" She flipped it to show me a small white printed code on the bottom. "I've already registered my computer and my own mike onto all of the set hat I've made so far. I sent one to the ranger in the region Ben's heading to so that he'll have ours." She pulled a set out of the black box. "Here's yours! I've already registered mine, Papa's , Mom' s, and Ben's. Do you know if Red Eyes wants one?" I blinked at pulled out the slip of paper he had given me a long time ago.

"Why don't we call him and find out?" I suggested.

* * *

"Crimson. Nice to see you're in Oblivia again." Blue Eyes nodded to me as she and Red Eyes parked their Z.Z Fliers in front of Nema's house. I smiled at her, but a thought prodded at my mind. Why did she show up with Red Eyes when we only called him? It was curious to see why the two ex-Pinchers still kept in contact with one another.

"It's great to see you too. Now hurry up after Red Eyes—I don't think I really want to hear Nema repeat her instructions all over again," I winced as Nema started lecturing Red Eyes about her new invention. Blue Eyes laughed before hurrying to the table where the others were looking at the new walkie-talkies.

"What are all of these called again?" She asked, staring at the small mikes in amazement. Nema opened her mouth to spout off their long names but, I quickly intercepted.

"The mike and speakers are known as Stealth Communicators," I explained, pointing to the four disks. "The black case that holds onto them is called the charger. These small bundles of double-sided stickers are included so that you can stick your mikes to practically anything. " I held up tiny plastic bag to show them. " All created by the courtesy and ability of Nema." Red Eyes whistled appreciatively and Nema gave me an irritated glare. I smiled apologetically at her until she let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.

"These are awesome. Get us registered." Red Eyes nodded at Nema, who beamed and quickly dragged him and Blue Eyes into her lab. Chuckling, Pichu and I followed close behind.

* * *

"Hey Crimson, what's that?" Nema nodded to the dog-tags I had been fiddling with in my hands. She had decided to sleep over in the guest bedroom where I would be staying during my time in Oblivia.

"Dog tags. It has our names and ranks on it." I showed her the front of one of them. "The other one is left blank until you settle into a region and you get to engrave a design about the Pokémon or people in that region." I smoothed my thumb over the back of the blank one. Nema caught my action and decided to ask about it.

"What's on the back?"

"It's a quote or a saying that you believe in. I found this one quote in a book I read when I was a kid and it stuck with me forever. Do you want to see it?" I offered her my dog-tags. She glanced down and read it aloud.

"_If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail._" She blinked at the words. "That's really deep." Her eyes glittered mischievously at me. "Is this about Ben?" She teased.

"Sort of," I replied, laughing. "I think it refers to family and friends too." I ran my hand over the words, feeling the dip under the pad of my thumb.

"What's Ben's?"

"I don't know," I replied truthfully. "We decided to keep it private from one another. I guess it's because we want to make these messages more precious by showing each other once we feel the time is right." I stared at the stainless steel plates and let out a soft sigh. "Who knows? We might never get to show each other these tags." At Nema's alarmed look, I quickly added, "after all, we're probably going to argue about whether the time is right or not."

"The time will come," she decided, turning onto her back. "I'm sure of it." I curled up and rested my head against a pillow next to her. She reached out and grabbed one of my hands, squeezing it reassuringly. "Knowing Ben, it'll definitely come."

* * *

A beeping noise filled my ear. Startled, I sat up abruptly, automatically waking up Nema in the process. "Huh?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily and gave me a weird look. "What's wrong?" I frowned, pressing my ear.

"I think I'm getting a call." Immediately, Nema was awake. I frowned at her. "Is there any way to know who's calling you ?" She winced and shook her head.

"Unfortunately, since I had to make it so small, there's no way to know until you answer it. I'd make it like your Voice Nav. but it'll take a long time and the mike would be a lot bulkier than it already is." She glanced around her. "Where 's your mike?"

"Dog-tag." I replied, pulling them out and pressing the red button. I studied my handiwork. The small magnet that went with the mike was clamped firmly on the blank side of the tag and the mike covered the quote that was on the back. I pressed the red button and the beeping stopped. "Is there any way to skip or block a call?" Nema shook her head no.

"But you can just accept it and then end it." She replied. As she said these words, a voice filled my left ear.

"Crimson?" My eyes widened.

"Ben?" Nema looked ecstatic.

"He knows how to use it!" She cheered quietly.

"Crimson!" I could almost hear the smile in his voice. "How are you? Nema's pretty awesome with her gadgets, isn't she? " Nema made a motion for me to put the mike closer to my mouth. She was holding t he black charger closer to her face as a demonstration.

"She is," I agreed before hesitantly adding, "am I too close to the mike? This is the first time I've used it." Ben's laughter filled the speakers and I relaxed, taking comfort in his voice.

"It's a tad bit loud, but otherwise, it's fine. I've had some practice with Nema while you were on patrols with Rand," he replied. I heard some shuffling in the background. "What time is it over there?" I glanced over the clock.

"It's about two in the morning," I replied. I could hear him spluttering in the mike.

"Two?! Oh god, I'm sorry!"

"No, no, no it's perfectly fine!" I reassured him. Hesitantly I added, "I wanted to hear your voice." Nema smiled cheesily at me, cooing softly in the background. I shot her a look as I felt my cheeks heat up. I heard Ben laugh shakily into the speaker.

"Is that Nema I hear in the background?" I chuckled despite my embarrassment.

"Yeah. She's sleeping with me on the floor of the guest room."

"The floor? Why aren't you on the bed?" Nema cocked her head at me and I nodded toward the bed.

"Because Nema complained that it wasn't comfortable to sleep all pressed up against the wall. She chose to sleep on the floor and I decided to join her." I looked down at the carpet on the ground. " It 's okay because we have a carpet underneath us. So how are things going over at your station?"

"Professor Hastings wasn't joking he said this place was getting out of hand," he sighed. I heard a bed creak in the background. "It's really busy here. The rangers he was talking about got into a rockslide a couple of days ago and that's why work is piling up. Steve—he's the one who requested a specialty ranger— snapped his wrist during the chaos. He' s not going to be back until a couple of months later. And the other ranger Lisa fractured her hip. I wanted to call you before I took a quick nap. Guess the time over there's really different to what's going on here."

"What time is it where you are?" I glanced at Nema, who was keeping herself awake with sleepy determination.

"About ten," he replied. "Five hour difference, huh? I'll have to think a bit before calling you now."

"Well, you're busier than ever over there. Don't worry about calling me. You should focus on your work," I replied, watching Nema worriedly. She was nodding off as I was speaking.

"You sound worried. What's wrong?" I couldn't help but smile at his words. Ben always knew when something was bugging me.

"Nema's falling asleep right now, but she's desperately trying to stay awake to listen in on my conversation with you." I heard Ben chuckle on the other side.

"It's understandable. It's amazing how she can make these things work without satellites. Did Leanne think of a shortened name for the things she made yet?"

"I thought of some. The mike and the speaker are considered the Stealth Communicators. The charger is…well, a charger. And the stickers are called double-sided stickers."

"Of justice!" Nema mumbled sleepily. I looked back over to her and she was already on her side, struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Of justice," I added into the mike. I heard Ben snort in amusement. "Well, I better let her sleep. You should get some rest too."

"Alright. I love you, Crimson." My heart fluttered at his words.

"I love you too," I breathed. A couple seconds later, I heard a click and I pressed the red button to end the call.

"How is he?" Nema slurred sleepily, only half-conscious. I chuckled and pulled t he blankets back over us.

"I'll tell you in the morning," I promised as I curled onto my side. That night, I dreamt of Ben and I standing by the edge of a lake, fingers intertwined. The moonlight was cool and absolutely bewitching as we watched Suicune race across the top of the water. All was peaceful and beautiful.

* * *

Five months passed without much conflict. Nema invented a couple of other things, pulling all-nighters without a second thought. Often times, she pestered me to stay awake with her so I could test them out the second that she was finished with them. My sleeping hours became even more irregular as I was called onto patrols frequently and had to test out inventions with Nema. She had a total of three major inventions and a couple of smaller ones that seemed to be designed for my benefit.

She created a tranquilizer that proved to be useful in calming down enraged Pokémon and knocking out injured Pokémon so that the doctors could examine them. She had called it Super-knocker-outer-3000, but Leanne and I both vetoed the idea and changed the name to Knock-out. Another nickname for it was "three second" because it only took a couple of seconds until the creature would be down under. Pichu, Miltanks, Murph, and I had all been the testers and after going through all the minor side effects of taking too much in a short amount of time, Nema quickly approved the product and Rand forbid us to be tested by it again.

Another creation was a grappling hook that could be propelled similarly to how a bullet was shot out of a gun. Its point was collapsible and could easily be reloaded through the capsule. Nema named it Clawed-propeller-rope-sling but this time Murph stepped in and suggested the name Grappler. Truthfully, it was a spinoff of the actual name of the tool, but it sounded much better than Nema's original idea for it. It was created after Nema took interest in an action packed movie where the superhero used a grappling hook to escape enemy fire. After several weeks of struggling to make the weapon smaller, more convenient, and less likely to snap, Nema approved the product and hurried over to Herb's house to get more medicinal patches for my sore rear.

The last big invention was her modification of my belt. She had implanted some sort of substance that would harden once I whipped the belt off. I had to flick it in a way similar to how I would flick a wet towel. The belt would become sturdy and hard and could be used like a staff. However, this proved to be difficult when we couldn't get my belt to go back to being flexible. For a couple of weeks, I had to borrow Leanne's belts because Nema was fussing over mine. Eventually, she created a button near the buckle that I could press in order to return my belt to normal. After a month or two of working on this project, she had approved it and I was significantly more geared up.

Weber had made me a belt with several compartments on it so I could hold many of Nema's creations. Before I knew it, I was always carrying around a couple darts loaded with Knock-out, a grappler with a couple of extra "escape bullets", and some devices that were similar to pocket knives in the compartments. I felt like a mixture between a superhero and a telephone repair man. Nema told me that I looked like Gligarman with his utility belt*.

As for her smaller inventions, Nema had made a small item similar to a pocketknife with a collapsible fork and spoon. She had also prepared a collapsible toothbrush and a smaller container for toothpaste. She also made sheets of this minty substance that could clean your mouth in seconds. However, it was so strong that you often had to spit it out. Murph, who had attempted to swallow it, ended up with a stomachache for days. Nema also prioritized new training and spent countless months trying to teach me how to throw knives.

Before I knew it, I had almost become the next superhero with my utility belt, a belt that could become a weapon in seconds, and the ability to throw knives.

As for my communication with Ben, his calls became less and less frequent as he had more work to do. I was expecting a call from him soon because the other rangers should've been all healed up by now. Instead, I received nothing for weeks on end. Either way, I always waited for his calls since it was more convenient for him to call me.

* * *

"Crimson!" I looked up to see Jamie and Julian jump of the backs of their Staraptors. I had been standing in Nema's front yard, practicing with her different inventions and going through my daily knife-throwing practices.

"Hey you two! It's been a while!" I smiled at them, but the looks on their faces made my grin falter. "What's wrong?"

"Has Ben contacted you recently?" I shook my head slowly. The fearful looks on their faces made me stiffen up with concern.

"What happened?" I grabbed onto Julian while Jamie quickly made a wireless call to the Ranger Union. Julian looked at me with sympathetic and concerned eyes. He shot a look back at Jamie, who nodded at him. The Asian ranger quickly turned back to me.

"Ben…he's been reported missing." My blood chilled at his words. "He was on a mission in the ocean and he hadn't been found since. It's been about a week because the other rangers were trying to get news from everyone else in the region. Professor Hastings sent us to find you because we thought the first person Ben would try to contact would be you. And since you haven't spoken to him, then…" he shared a look with Jamie. The blonde girl stepped forward and took my hand and in hers.

"Crimson, when was the last time that you talked to Ben?" Her voice was gentle.

"Two weeks ago," I croaked. Her blue eyes filled with pain.

"Oh Crimson…" Her arms wrapped around me and she held me close. "I'm so sorry." I was faintly aware of her speaking to Julian. I still couldn't get my mind wrapped around the idea that Ben was gone. How could he be gone? Sure he was a risk taker, but he wasn't that careless. _Oh god, Ben_, I thought helplessly. _How did I lose you again?_

"Are you two from the Ranger Union?" Jam ie loosened her grip on me and looked up . I blankly looked in the direction of the person who spoke. Rand stood there with a slight frown on his face, Nema and Leanne standing close behind him.

"Yes. We were sent by Professor Hastings," Julian told him. Rand relaxed visibly and Nema stepped forward cautiously.

"Crimson?" She reached for me. "Are you okay?" Julian and Jamie shared worried looks.

"Professor Hastings? What's wrong?" Rand arched an eyebrow as Leanne took a curious step forward.

"Have you two been contacted by Ben recently?" The two shook their heads no.

"We haven't heard from him in two or more weeks," Leanne told Jamie. Jamie glanced at me with remorse and pain in her eyes. Nema was still hesitant in touching me. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"…Specialty Ranger Ben has been missing for a week." Nema's hand froze inches away from my shoulder. I began to shake violently and I felt my heart being stabbed for the second time. Nema's arms wrapp ed around me and she held me to her chest, rubbing my arms slowly as the two of us sank to the floor. "Crimson…when the area rangers searched the sea…they found these two items." Julian pulled a yellow bundle out of his bag and unwrapped them in front of me. My eyes traced over them and a strangled sob escaped my throat. Nema's arms tightened around me. The yellow fabric was torn and tattered and a platinum badge was pinned to it. Next to it was an identification dog-tag. "I' m so sorry."

I turned my face away and Nema stepped back hesitantly to look at my face. Ukulele Pichu, who had been resting under the shade of a tree, walked over and watched me carefully. He climbed into lap and looked at me with his big eyes. "Pichu?"

The dam broke. I clung onto Pichu, crying hard as I pressed him against me. He was probably being suffocated at that moment, but he didn't move in my arms. When my grip slackened a little, he lifted his paws and patted my cheeks gently. If anything, this made me cry even harder. A roar echoed through the forest, follow ed by two others. I looked up to see Rand pull Leanne out of the way as a large Pokémon leapt into the clearing. Entei stood there, bristling as he advanced toward me. Nema tried to hold her ground, but another roar from the legendary fire beast and she staggered away. Close behind Entei were Suicune and Raikou whose hackles were raised as they hissed and growled at everyone else.

Entei relaxed when he reached me, curling around my trembling form and rumbling softly. A snarl interrupted my mourning and I looked up quickly. Suicune bared his teeth at Jamie, who had shakily pulle d out her Styler. Raikou was by his side in a second, roaring as static began to make his fur rise. Julian quickly stepped up to Jamie's side and pulled out his Styler as well. Entei curled around me protectively and growled when the two young rangers glanced in his direction.

I saw Julian draw a shaky circle around Suicune as Jamie did the same for Raikou. Immediately the two legendary dogs attacked, mercilessly targeting the spinning Stylers. I froze, staring as the two continuously attacked the two rangers. "Stop," Entei paused in his growling and looked at me curiously. "Stop." Julian an d Jamie jumped out of the way just in ti me when Raikou sent his lightning after them. A flicker of rage went through me. I got onto my feet. "_STOP!_" A wall of fire appeared between the two legendary beasts and the rangers. Entei was by my side, growling at his companions when they leapt away from the flames.

My chest was heaving as Entei lowered his fire wall cautiously, keeping an eye on the rangers as they stared at the two legendary Pokémon in front of them. Julian and Jamie were terrified, singed, and their uniforms were torn from their earlier tussle. When the two of them tried to advance again and pull out their Stylers, Entei roared and his wall of fire reappeared. When he lowered it again, everyone's eyes were on me. I could feel new tears building up and streaking down m y face. "It's not time to be fighting right now." I choked on my words and swallowed with difficulty. Suicune and Raikou, who had been bristling and snarling a second earlier, watched me calmly.

I blinked and reached my hand out to them. Silently, the thunder and the water beasts walked up to me and nuzzled my outstretched hand. Raikou pressed his face against my hand, purring as he wove around me. The three legendary dogs took their places beside me, completely tamed and relaxed. Jamie and Julian stared at me. "Ben is missing. That is our first priority. I was wrong to break down then and there." Nema made a small noise of complaint and I shut her up with a look. "I was wrong," I repeated slowly. I turned to face the three legendary dogs , who were all looking at me eagerly. " I'm sorry for troubling you guys. It really wasn' t too big of a deal." The three of them paid no mind to me, nuzzling and nudging me gently. "Thank you so much ," I whispered. Suicune studied me with his amethyst eyes before dipping his head. He turned and disappeared into the trees.

Raikou was more hesitant to leave. He placed his muzzle in the palm of my hand before taking off. Entei watched me steadily and didn't move even when I gave him a gentle push. His message was clear: he wasn't going to leave until I was okay. I gave him a small smile and turned back to my friends. "Julian. Jamie. I'm sorry to have troubled you with these guys." I glanced back at Entei, who seemed docile almost, rubbing affectionately against my shoulders. I looked back at them and saw their gaping jaws.

"H-h-how'd you calm him down so fast? You didn't even pull out your Styler…" Julian stammered, looking fearfully at Entei. I opened my mouth to speak but Rand answered for him.

"Crimson has a very strong bond with all the Pokémon in this region. Since Entei and his friends arrived without summons, it shows how dedicated they are to her since they reacted so strongly to her feelings. Speaking of which," Rand commented, glancing up at the sky. "It see have a sky visitor as well." Latias appeared in front of me in a flash. She nodded to Entei and pushed her muzzle into my hands.

"Hey girl," I whispered. "Were you worried about me too?"

"Latii," she cooed softly.

"Well, this is unexpected." Everyone looked up in surprise. Red Eyes and Blue Eyes parked their Z.Z Fliers and ran over. Red Eyes' eyes narrowed when he saw my tear-streaked face. Blue Eyes took a step forward but Entei's growl warned her. "What happened?" Julian glanced uneasily at Jamie, who opened her mouth to speak .

"Ben is missing," I told him. The horrified look on Jamie's face told me that she had been hoping to avoid having me say those words myself. I bit my lip. "He's been missing for a week already."

"Crimson…" Blue Eyes trailed off helplessly, unsure of what to say to me.

"What's this? Pinchers?" My neck muscles complained as I tilted my head upward again. _Not another ranger_, I groaned. It seemed I had lucked out with that hope. Red Eyes' eyes narrowed and he threw a protective arm in front of Blue Eyes.

"We're not Pinchers anymore," Red Eyes shot out, glaring at the ranger who leapt off of his Staraptor. A Luxray landed beside him and shook its fur out. The ranger shrugged and fixed the white cowboy hat on his head.

"Since Professor Hastings is okay with you, I suppose I won't take you out." He nodded at Rand, who looked fairly surprised. He looked at Jamie and Julian who both looked awestruck. "By the way, he was wondering what was taking you so long. The idea was to get the answer from Summer and get back to the Ranger Union." He turned his dark eyes to me, arching an eyebrow as he looked over Entei. "Are you Summer?" I nodded and he let out a lo w whistle of appreciation. "You're not bad, I suppose. Good job becoming a gemstone ranger. Being able to capture Entei is something that deserves such a ranking." Julian and Jamie looked conflicted.

"Uh…Sven, Crims—Summer didn't _catch_ Entei." Jamie slipped on my name. Since this ranger seemed to only know my real name, the nickname was only going to confuse him. "Entei, Suicune, and Raikou appeared on their own accord. Summer has a real affinity for Pokémon." The ranger looked disbelievingly at Entei and I. The legendary fire beast immediately began growling at the man. I searched my mental archives for the name "Sven". Suddenly, a window popped up.

_Sven. One of the few top rangers. He and Wendy had claimed the blood diamond as their gemstone label._ He stiffened at Entei's reaction to him. I reached out a hand and laid it reassuringly on Entei's neck as I quickly wiped my face dry. Immediately, Entei fell silent. Sven's eyes widened slightly at his actions. "Summer, right?" He asked before turning back to Julian and Jamie. I nodded. He smiled and tipped his hat to me. "I'll remember that. Time to go, you two." My friends nodded and shot a look a concerned look at me. I looked back at them steadily.

The three rangers took off on their Staraptors and left Leanne, Rand, Blue Eyes, Red Eyes, Nema, Ukulele Pichu, Entei, and I standing in the small clearing. " Let's go inside," Nema suggested. She walked over to me and stood her ground when Entei stiffened at her closeness.

"That sounds great," I told her. "Let's talk about what's going to happen next."

* * *

A/N: NOOOO! NOT BEN!

Being the very emotional person I am, I was on the verge of tears when I wrote this. It is sort of surprising when Crimson suddenly gains control of the situation and calms herself down enough get everyone back under control. Truthfully, it surprised me in how I ended up writing this scene out. While I was writing this chapter, I was wondering why the hell I was even introducing Sven. I've never played Secrets of Almia (in fact, I was advised not to by a friend of mine who's literally played every single Pokemon game out there), so I don't really know what his character is like. I just made him do whatever any regular person would do in that kind of situation.

*Gligarman is a knockoff of Batman. I didn't think Zubatman, Golbatman, or Crowbatman were good names. Gliscorman sounded cool, but I liked Gligarman best.

I forgot to add in a quick note: Julian and Jamie are pretty good rangers. They managed to get up to an indigo while Crimson was testing Nema's inventions (there seems to be a reoccurring idea of how Crimson always ends up with a sore back. First from slipping on ice, riding on the backs of legendary Pokemon, getting knocked over by Arley's Regigigas, and having Nema's "Grappler" rope snap on her several times over). If anything, they're very talented when it comes to teamwork and captures. However, the reason why they did so crappily with Raikou and Suicune is because they've heard so much about how difficult it is to catch Legendary Pokemon that they don't think they're capable enough of catching one. Also, the Legendary beasts are quite intimidating-at least more so than regular Pokemon .

Yes, I do love Entei very much. I lavish a lot of attention on him. He was probably the first Pokemon that I fell in love with. Although I do appreciate Suicune 's beauty very much, I find that Raikou' s extremely lovable as well. If you've ever read "Inuyasha", Suicune reminds me a bit of Sesshomaru. But then again, it may just be me.

Anyway, please R&R. I have to say, the chapters won't appear as frequently as they did over the length of last week because I have to deal with school again. Spring Break is over... :(

I will be looking forward to reviews to cheer me up. Thanks everyone!

P.S. If you're a bit suspicious about why only one of Ben's dogtags was found, you'll find out soon enough in the next chapter! This story's actually moving along a lot faster than I thought it would be. I'm predicting about six or seven more chapters, but I can't be absolutely sure.


	9. Chapter 8

Hopefully you guys will like this chapter, but it's pretty damn dark...

This is probably why the story's rated-M.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it either way! Well, not in that way. I mean...

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!

* * *

"Is it possible?" I pressed, glancing at Red Eyes and Blue Eyes, who looked conflicted at the news. Professor Hastings sighed on the other side of the line. Nema had sent him a program and the code that was on the back of my Stealth Communicator so that I would be able to contact the Ranger Union whenever I needed to. I had currently taken off my speaker and had amped up the volume so that everyone in the room could hear it. "Could there really be people creating another union?"

"Of course it's possible. And these people are doing worse things to Pokémon than the Pinchers have ever done. You see, they're _enslaving_ Pokémon."

"But how can you trust your sources? You said that it was an anonymous tip," I argued.

"That's exactly why I've contacted you right now. I want to know if Blue Eyes and Red Eyes are willing to act as our spies. They've been introduced before as being part of the Pinchers and the Societa. They were said to have been fired just days after the collapse of the Pincher Organization. In other words, they were only seen as bad guys who had left failing groups. In their eyes, Blue Eyes and Red Eyes are very valuable associates," Professor Hastings replied. "Blue Eyes, Red Eyes—would you do us a huge favor and go in as undercover agents? This is a very important matter we have to look into. However, you're the only ones that can go in without rousing too much suspicion. Crimson's too well known and Rand's sense of justice will be like lighting a barrel of gunpowder." I saw Rand scratch his jaw sheepishly. I smiled at him empathetically—neither of us were sure whether we should feel honored or offended.

"What do you say?" Red Eyes turned to his blue-eyed associate. All this time, Blue Eyes had been quiet. She closed her eyes and nodded.

"I'll do it." She nodded at me. "I'll do it to clear my messy name." My heart warmed immediately at her words. Here was Blue Eyes, a proud and passionate girl who had stumbled a couple of times but was more than willing to change. She looked at Red Eyes, her eyes betraying no emotion. He stared at her, looking slightly conflicted. With a sigh he nodded as well.

"I'm in." His eyes met mine and his gaze felt like it was lighting my heart on fire. "I have some things to clear about myself too." I stared back at him, feeling my cheeks heat up under the intensity of his stare. He dropped his eyes as soon as Professor Hasting's voice came through the speakers again. My face felt hot. What that look for?

"Excellent. I advise that you two keep your distance from Rand and Crimson then. We need to make sure that they don't suspect you no matter what. I'll keep in touch with you all. Will I be able to trust Crimson with keeping in contact with Blue Eyes and Red Eyes?"

"Of course, sir," I replied.

"Good. Now, I want all of you to be ready for anything. From what I hear from one of the area rangers in the region where Ben had disappeared, there was a very rich family who decided to move away to a secluded island that isn't really located in any region. This information is extremely important because of this suspicious behavior. Blue Eyes, Red Eyes, you will get in contact with your former associates and attend the new meetings with them. As for everyone else, I want you to keep an eye out for this family. I heard from the ranger that the family will be stopping by Aqua Resort while their things are being moved to their new home. Do your best to get close to the family without rousing suspicion. You will hear from me soon." There was a click and I reached forward to end the call. Blue Eyes and Red Eyes nodded to Rand, who had been listening to the conversation with narrowed eyes.

"Should we tell Murph?" Leanne touched her husband's shoulder.

"Don't. That man's too easy to get answers out of." Startled, everyone looked up to see the irritated expression on Blue Eyes' face. "He cracks over time. Don't tell him anything about this mission or else all of us will be doomed." She nodded to me. "Crimson, you'll receive a call from me as soon as I discover anything." She looked around the room at everyone else. "I'll take my leave now."

"The same goes for me," Red Eyes added as he followed her out of the door. His eyes lingered on me. "Crimson, be careful. Their first target is most likely going to be you." Before I could ask him what he meant by his words, he was already out the door.

* * *

"Crimson, I want you to stay with Weber for the time being. Since 'the family' will be staying at Aqua Resort for some time, you should stay with him," Rand told me at the dinner table. I nodded in agreement. "I'll patrol in that area more frequently, but now I have the other people to worry about…"

"Don't worry, papa." Rand and I turned our heads to see Nema casually taking a bite of buttered bread. "Crimson's going to be fine. I'll be there with her." Immediately, the area ranger bristled in alarm.

"Nema, don't be ridiculous!" Leanne scolded. Nema lifted her head defiantly. "You could be in trouble out there."

"Crimson is in just as much danger as I am." Her voice was cool and steady. Her blue eyes burned with a steady fire. "You know that I've been teaching myself self-defense ever since Crimson saved the two of us from Purple Eyes. Crimson is good with my inventions, but she hasn't practiced with this yet." She pulled out a pistol and laid it onto the table. Rand and Leanne exchanged startled looks. "I created this pistol for the purposes of the Knock-out tranquilizer. It's semi-automatic and it's loaded with several darts. I was the one who taught Crimson how to throw knives. Papa, you'll be coming around on patrols often. Crimson will be there to watch over me. I have the ability to protect myself and keep myself from danger, Papa." Her voice rose as she lifted her chin higher.

Her eyes softened when she looked at him. "They won't be after me. I'm there just to make sure that Crimson doesn't get hurt." Rand looked conflicted and Leanne looked plainly against it. Nema's eyes turned to mine for support. I stared back before turning back to Rand and giving him my opinion.

"I'm not sure if my voice will do anything to convince you, but I feel having Nema by my side would be extremely beneficial. She could cover for me in dire situations. However," I added when Leanne turned her disbelieving stare to me, "I do fear for her safety if she were to follow me. Pichu has been a good partner to me and I'm sure that if it is in his power, Entei would not let a single soul harm me." I glanced over at the legendary fire beast as he lay by the fire, curled up with Pichu. "Also, I would be close by Suicune, who lives in the Canal Ruins. Latias patrols the sky at night and would definitely take Nema away from any danger."

"Papa, please." Nema stared hard at Rand, who was looking helplessly at the meal in front of him. Leanne sighed and reached over, squeezing her husband's hand.

"As much as I'd like to shelter Nema from the world, Crimson's doing her some good by bringing her out of the cage we created for her," Leanne murmured. Rand met his wife's eyes and then turned to meet ours.

"Crimson, tonight you will pack your things. I will call Murph to ask him to bring over the Union. Tomorrow morning, we will have Entei accompany you on The Union to Sophian Island." Nema stared at her father, her hand clenching tightly around a metal fork. "And Nema?" She lifted her dejected eyes to meet his. "Be sure that nothing happens to you or Crimson while you're there." Nema stared at her father a couple of seconds before her face split into a radiant smile.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" She cheered happily, dropping her fork to run around and hug him. Rand patted his daughter's arm patiently before she let go of him and danced around the dining room happily.

"Just remember to stay safe," he reminded her, taking a bite of his dinner. Nema's eyes glowed as she replied to him.

"Yes!"

* * *

"Thanks once again, Weber." Rand nodded to the weaver as he and Leanne headed down the stairs. The middle age man smiled at them as they passed.

"No problem, Rand. At least I get to brag to everyone else about how the Hero of Oblivia lived at my house!" He joked. He looked kindly at Nema and I as we bid farewell to her parents. "Crimson, I'm finished with that carpet that I was telling you about. Would you like to see it?" Slightly unsure of what he was talking about, I nodded and followed him into a small workshop. What I saw hanging on the wall took my breath away.

The three legendary beasts stood surrounding a young girl in a Specialty Ranger uniform and a Pichu with a blue ukulele on its back. Suicune stood to the right, Raikou to the left, and Entei took the center. The girl had brown hair, blue eyes, and at her feet stood a proud and triumphant Pichu. Wind patterns swirled around the top and bottom of the rug, making the main color a very beautiful gray-blue color. "It's beautiful," I whispered, gazing at the sheer beauty of the carpet.

"It's been finished for quite a while," Weber chuckled as he stood next to me, admiring his own handiwork. "I've already gotten several offers for it—you wouldn't believe how many people love this carpet. If anything, I consider it my masterpiece."

"It's understandable why," I agreed, allowing myself to draw in all the details of the pattern. "Whoever gets this carpet is going to be one very lucky person. Have you decided who you were going to sell it to?" Weber stroked his chin and had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well, I had intentionally made this as a gift for someone," he replied slowly, a small frown on his face. "I think this carpet's too precious for money. That special someone has been an amazing help to me in the past and I really want to thank them for their work."

"If you don't mind, who's the carpet for?" I tore my gaze away to look Weber in the eyes. _Don't fall in love with it, Crimson_, I told myself, _or else you'll be heartbroken when he gives it away._ Weber's grey eyes twinkled as he studied the hanging carpet before looking at me. He looked slightly surprised at my question.

"My! You really don't know, do you?" He frowned as he glanced back at the carpet. "I thought it was obvious!" I looked at him with bewilderment and shook my head slowly. "Why Crimson, it's for you!" He clapped me on the back and pointed to the pattern again. "Why would I put your face and Ukulele Pichu on there? I had made this carpet for you!"

"I-I thought you were going to make a design or a theme out of Pichu and I," I stammered, shocked by the sudden news. I gazed at the carpet with a mixture of longing and disbelief. _Is this really for me? It's so beautiful…_Weber's eyes glittered warmly at me.

"I was considering that, actually. But that would make the legend too specific, you see," he mused. "You are the Hero of Oblivia in this generation. But if there is evil that comes once again, then we would most definitely have _another_ Hero that will appear then, correct?" I nodded. "This is for you. But I have taken the liberty to create other carpets and rugs that have similar designs." He pulled out a couple of drawings and let me look over them.

"Weber…how much would it cost for me to ask you to weave another rug for me?" Weber looked pleasantly surprised at my question.

"Depends on how detailed it would be."

"Then it wouldn't take too much money, then. This is rather selfish, but…" I hesitated. "I would like a carpet made of Latias. I'm delighted in having a carpet of Entei, Suicune, Raikou, Pichu, and I, but I would definitely appreciate it if you could give some credit to the Pokémon who takes time and effort to bring me from island to island." Weber looked thoughtful as he studied the blank carpets that covered one wall.

"I think it's doable," he replied slowly. "But I don't know exactly what Latias looks like." Shyly, I took out a picture from my "utility belt" and handed it to him. Weber studied the picture with interest. "From this position?"

"That would be preferable, yes." A small smile graced Weber's face.

"Latias is a beautiful creature," he whispered. He looked proudly at the finished carpets that were hung around the room. "I believe I was lucky to be born at this time." His grey eyes rested gently on me. "And I believe that I was lucky to have the Hero of Oblivia standing in my house right now." I flushed at his words. "You see, the Hero of Oblivia has not brought inspiration to my life," he gazed at the picture of Latias in his hand, "but she has also brought in new discoveries." He smiled at me. "I will make you a carpet of Latias," he promised. "But there's only one price I'll take for it."

"What is it?" My hopes plummeted a little. What if he asked for something that I couldn't ever get for him?

"I want to keep this picture…and be able to weave the love that you feel for these Pokémon into these rugs." He nodded at the different designs scattered on his table. He turned back to me, smiling faintly. "Do those prices work for you?"

I gazed at Weber and saw a man who was satisfied with his life and overjoyed by the excitement and pleasures it brought him. I saw a man who was righteous, generous, and extremely agreeable. I smiled and nodded. "Yes."

* * *

"Entei's so warm," Nema's eyes fluttered blissfully shut as she laid her head against Entei's flank. I chuckled softly and smiled when the legendary fire beast turned his head to nuzzle me affectionately. Ukulele Pichu was curled up next to my head, his chest rising up and down steadily. "I can see why you like him so much now," Nema slurred sleepily, burying her face into his long fur.

Similarly to how Latias treated Ben, Entei only tolerated Nema at first. Now, at the end of the day, Entei appeared to be much more comfortable around the blue-eyed girl. After encouraging him and making sure that he wasn't behaving too badly toward Nema, the fire beast seemed to have generally come to accept the girl as something that was not a threat. Entei nuzzled me once more and I felt sleep pull me away from the shores of consciousness. As I closed my eyes, I felt a tear slip from underneath my eyelid. _Please, tonight…let me dream of Ben._

* * *

"It's been a week." Nema lifted another knife and tossed it lazily at the dartboard in front of her. "The family must've moved by now, right?"

"I don't know," I replied, absentmindedly stroking Pichu's fur. Entei dozed off in the corner, sunlight soaking into his coat. For seven days, Nema and I patrolled Sophian Island and waited desperately for the family to come. We had no news from either Professor Hastings, Blue Eyes, or Red Eyes. Things were looking harder now that we didn't really have too much to go off of now. It seemed that every lead we got led us to a dead end.

"It's the Reinbow festival tonight," Nema commented, walking over to the dartboard and deftly pulling out the knives. "Plan on going?" She let out a sigh as I gave her my rehearsed answer—something that I always did before I fell asleep each night.

"I'll patrol Sophian Island first." Ukulele Pichu stirred, leaning into my hand. "Rand's coming around in a couple of minutes, right? I'll get started now so I won't miss too much of the festivities." I nodded to her as I gently shook Pichu awake. "Let Entei sleep here. I don't think too much is going to happen while I'm away."

"Alright. Be careful," she told me. I smiled at her as I headed out the door.

"Weber! I'm going on a patrol really quick!" I called as I bounded down the stairs.

"Alright!" His voice called from his workroom.

"Come on, Pichu. Let's get warmed up for the festival." Ukulele Pichu shook himself awake and hopped after me, cheerfully humming a tune as we headed into the forest.

* * *

_These look like these were scored in the ground_, I thought to myself as I studied the marks on the ground. _Probably from a Pokémon struggling. But why?_ I sighed as I brushed my knees off and scanned the forest. I could hear the soft splashes of the Lotads as they eased themselves into the water and the rustling noises of the wind brushing up against the trees. I raised my head and looked up at the moon, pleased to see that it was close to being a full moon. "Just a couple more nights," I whispered aloud, creating a small circle with my forefinger and thumb as I held it up to the sky.

I inhaled the scent of the forest and let out a deep breath, stretching in the moonlight. Pichu had hopped off somewhere into the forest but he would come running back if I called for him. I glanced toward the general direction of the resort and could see faint lights going off in the sky. The Reinbow Festival was probably reaching its climax. I took in a breath and opened my mouth to call Pichu. "Pich—" A black figure slammed against me and pinned me down, knocking the air out of my lungs. Winded but alert, I started kicking and punching wildly. My nails raked down someone's face and I heard a soft curse. Opening my mouth, I prepared to scream for Pichu.

Something hit me hard across the face and two rougher hands grabbed a hold of my wrist. Gritting my teeth, I thrashed wildly. I heard a small curse again and felt a fist catch me in the side of the head. While I was trying to get over the shock of getting again, something wormed between my legs and made sure that it was out of kicking range. A hand snaked up my chest and squeezed one of my breasts hard. Without meaning to, I screamed. A dark chuckle met my ears as something warm and slimy pressed up against my neck. Someone was tonguing my neck. Thrashing wildly, I let out another screech of anger when I realized I couldn't hit anything. Two hands were holding me down while the other two busied themselves with hitching my shorts higher up. I put two and two together; I was being attacked by two people.

"That's it, girly. Scream some more." A hand reached up and grabbed the collar of my shirt before tugging roughly. My eyes widened as the material tore open, exposing me in my underclothes to my attacker. "Such a pretty body," he cooed. "Too bad it'll be dirtied soon." I felt a tongue run its way down my torso and the anger I had been feeling turned into cold-blooded terror. I opened my mouth and screamed the first name that came to my head. _Ben._ "Oh, who's this boy? Is he your boyfriend? Hehheh, no boy's gonna want you after I'm through…" I shuddered violently as I felt his hand tugging at my belt. Desperately, I opened my mouth again.

"_PICHU!_" I screamed into the night air, refusing to give in to these men. There was no answer and my eyes filled with tears as the man pushed aside my belt and reached for the button of my shorts. "_SUICUNE_!" I heard one of them snort in amusement.

"Hey, she thinks she can get saved by these Pokémon." A hand slapped me roughly across the face again. "See that bitch? Nobody's going to come to save you—especially not to Pokémon." He laughed in my face. "What makes you think the Pokémon are going to save a slut like you?" I glared at the shadowed figures behind my tears, opening my mouth to try again.

"_PICHU!_"

"Damn, this bitch can scream," the one between my legs commented. He ran his rough hands up and down my limbs. "Good thing everyone's at the festival right now or else they would've heard her." I heard him lick his lips before his tongue returned to violating my chest. I threw my head back one last time.

"_SUICUNE!_" The man between my legs shifted and pulled down the zipper of my shorts. I sobbed as he reached his hand into my shorts…

"Pi…_CHUUU!_" Lightning tore open the sky as the man lifted his mouth opened and screamed in pain before being dragged away from me. The man pinning my arms down recoiled in shock.

"H-h-hey, Bridges, what's gonin' on?" He stammered into the dark patch where moon had refused to reflect its light. There was a sound of struggling and the man holding onto me grew more uncomfortable as the seconds passed. Another brilliant light lit up the forest and I caught a glimpse of Ukulele Pichu standing atop the man who had been reaching into my shorts with sparks flying everywhere. The man screamed again and all sounds of struggle stopped. "B-B-Bridges—AH!" A jet of water tore the second man away from me, sending him flying into the river. A familiar growl filled the air as a slender snout slipped itself under my arms. Shaking, I pulled myself up and buried my face in the long, flowing mane.

"S-S-Suicune," I whispered. A glowing blue light surrounded the water beast as the river suddenly became violent, sweeping the man in its depths away screaming. He turned around so that I could brace my elbows against his back as I clung onto him, shaking. "Oh god, Suicune…" I sobbed. A warm, fuzzy creature brushed against my legs and I looked down to see Pichu staring up at me with concerned eyes. "P-Pichu…" I felt Suicune stiffen underneath me and start to growl as footsteps approached us. Suddenly, his growls stopped and I looked up curiously. I saw two boys standing in front of me, mouths agape as they took in my appearance.

One of them had messy black hair and was dressed in rich, blue clothes. The other boy had far more casual clothing on, with a white tunic and midnight blue pants. My limbs began to quake when I looked at the boy's face. My knees buckled underneath me as a single name left my mouth—somewhere between a mixture between a plea and a whimper. "_Ben._"

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

"The Reinbow Festival's definitely overrated," Ambar snorted, kicking at a rock as the two of us walked back to the island called Sophian Island. "It's no different than the ones at our hometown. In fact, ours were much better anyway." I studied the dark skinned boy but said nothing. His family decided to stay a bit longer to enjoy the festivities. Ambar had lied to his parents about how I was getting a migraine again and how he would stay back at the hotel with me. His hair was jet black and his eyes were darker than night. He was thin and long like a reed and was dressed in some of his best clothes. Either way, he scowled and picked at the hem irritably, complaining that the outfit was itchy and definitely not worth his money. As the two of us headed back to the inn that we were staying at in a beautifully designed resort—Ambar had complained about how it was rather simple, but his sister Shanti loved it—a scream pierced the night and the two of us froze.

"Did you hear that?" Ambar turned his wide eyes to me and nodded. There was another scream and I quickly turned myself in the direction of the cry. It was coming from the forest. "Do you think we should report it?"

"Report it? Whoever's being attacked won't last long enough for us to report it!" With that, he was off, cursing at his sandals as he ran. I followed close behind, smiling empathetically as rocks tried to lodge themselves into the space between my foot and the bottom of the shoe. The two of us paused to catch our breaths as we lost the direction that the scream had come from. There was a bright flash of light further ahead and the two of us nodded at each other before taking off. I heard the sound of wild thrashing before another flash of light and all was still. We heard a scream and a splash before the river pushed a flailing figure past us. Ambar and I exchanged a look before running into a small clearing. The sight I saw took my breath away.

It was a horrifyingly beautiful picture. A girl in bright clothes clung to a beautiful blue Pokémon. When I took a closer look, I realized that the front of her shirt had been torn in half. A small yellow Pichu stood at her feet and the blue Pokémon lifted its head and growled at us. It was blue with a white underbelly and a long, flowing purple mane. Amethyst eyes raked over Ambar warily but its hackles lowered when its eyes met mine. The girl holding onto it looked up from where she had buried her face in his mane and turned in our direction. My heart lurched painfully when I saw her condition.

Her face was bruised and beaten and her arms trembled as she braced herself against the Pokémon. Her eyes were the color of cornflowers and her hair glowed silver in the moonlight. She fearfully studied Ambar and when she turned her eyes on me, they widened. Her knees buckled from underneath her and she let out a pitiful cry as she sunk to the floor, unconscious. "_Ben._" Confusion filled my mind as my name left her mouth. How did she know me?

"Ben…" Ambar glanced at me before taking a step forward. The two of us walked toward the blue beast until it started growling again. I hesitated and Ambar tried to advance another step but a snarl made him quickly retreat. "We have to get to the girl," he whispered, shooting a look at the slumped girl on the floor. He hesitated when the beast started growling again. "Why don't you try?" Tentatively, I took a step forward and all growling ceased. The Amethyst eyes watched me carefully as I inched closer, walking with bated breath. I heard Ambar's faint gasp in the background when I stood in front of the blue Pokémon.

"Pichu!" I looked down and saw the Pichu leaping up excitedly, cheering as it danced around me. Confused, I glanced back at Ambar. Did I know these people? Ambar's black eyes blazed as he pointed to the girl. He mouthed "come on" and waved frantically. With a gulp, I turned back to the girl. I slowly reached down and shifted her from the blue Pokémon's side until she was on my lap. It watched me carefully and didn't make a sound. Gulping, I cradled the girl in my arms and stood up, watching the creature warily as I took several steps back. The Pichu bounded after me, skipping over to my side. I kept my eyes on it until I had almost reached Ambar before turning my back to the blue Pokémon.

"Ben!" I turned around just in time to see the blue beast lift up its head and let out a cry. It glowed blue and the river that had been raging for the past couple of minutes quieted and relaxed. "Let's go." I nodded to Ambar and the two of us ran back to the resort, looking around desperately for anyone who could help. A middle aged man was unlocking a door to our right. "Excuse me!" Ambar surged forward. The man turned around in surprise, gray eyes looking over us before his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Ben? Why, it's been a while! How are you—" He broke off, a horrified expression taking over his face when saw the girl lying my arms. "Crimson! Oh dear god, what happened to her? Quickly, quickly inside!" He ushered the two of us into the room, leading the two of us upstairs. When he threw open the door, a roar made him jump back in fear. A bristling brown beast growled menacingly at the middle aged man and snarled at Ambar and I. Suddenly, the hair on his shoulders relaxed as he took a step back from the door. When the older man took a step forward, the beast began to growl again. When Ambar tried to do the same, he received a similar treatment—only that the Pokémon looked as if it were going to attack him.

I scowled as the two of them were scared away by the Pokémon. Whether the Pokémon was scary or not, there was a girl that needed attention to as soon as possible in my arms. I took a step forward and the growling ceased. Similarly to how the blue creature had reacted to me, the brown beast watched me as I stalked through the room and gently laid the girl onto the bed. Immediately, the Pokémon left its post by the door and leapt up onto the mattress, curling around the girl and making a low rumbling noise. "Oh dear." I turned to see the old man hurrying down the stairs. "I best be calling Rand and his daughter." Ambar and I exchanged a look before the two of us raced down after him.

* * *

"_Ben?_" A girl with blue eyes and blue hair gaped at me as soon as she had burst into the room. "What are _you _doing here?" Slightly irritated, I drew back until I was standing shoulder to shoulder with Ambar.

"Nema, now's not the time! Hurry, hurry! Crimson's hurt!" Immediately the girl stopped her questioning and literally flew up the stairs. A man with dark grey hair and a goatee wheezed as he walked into the living room. He was dressed in a dark grey and white uniform and had a small red vest adorned on his shoulders.

"Nema—took—off as soon as—she heard," he coughed, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. "What—happened—to Crimson?" The older man looked conflicted.

"I think she's been raped," he replied sorrowfully. A look of disbelief filled the other man's eyes.

"She wasn't." Startled, both men looked over to Ambar and I. "A small yellow Pokémon and a larger blue Pokémon saved her before they went too far." Ambar nodded toward me. "Ben and I carried her here."

"Blue Pokémon? Did he have a long purple mane?" The man in the red vest asked.

"Yes."

"Suicune." He exchanged glances with the older man. "Suicune and Pichu."

"_Papa!_" We heard a yell from upstairs. The man glanced at the staircase before addressing Ambar and I.

"I need you two to stay here until I come back down. Weber, please help them be situated. Ben?" His dark eyes softened as he met mine. "Thank you." With that, the man raced up the stairs.

"Who was that man? Who are you?" Ambar asked. The older man who the other had called Weber raised an eyebrow.

"I am Weber. I weave rugs and carpets." He nodded to the different rugs that hung from the walls. "That man that just ran upstairs is Rand. His daughter is Nema. He's the area ranger of Oblivia. But I'm sure that Ben could've told you that." Ambar cast a confused glance at me.

"Excuse me sir, but this is the first time I've met you," I replied earnestly. That earned a shocked look from the man named Weber.

"Why, you must be kidding! Did you lose your memory or is this a game you play with others?" Ambar quickly stepped in.

"My apologies, Mr. Weber. Ben is not lying when he says he has no recollection of meeting you," he said calmly. "My family and I had found Ben floating in the ocean, unconscious. When he finally awoke, he told us the only thing he remembered—his name."

"Why, I can't believe it! I must've confused you with all of my ramblings." Weber glanced nervously at the staircase. "I won't talk about too much before Rand returns downstairs. I'm sure he wants to get a full report of what happened to you. But I will tell you about the two creatures that you had just seen. The blue Pokémon that you saw in the forest was Suicune. He is a legendary water beast that guards the Canal Ruins and all of Sophian Island's rivers. He has the ability to walk on water. The brown Pokémon upstairs was Entei. He is a legendary fire beast that has tremendous strength and prowess."

"Can I ask you why the two of them stopped growling when Ben arrived?" Ambar asked. Weber opened his mouth.

"I can answer that question for you, Weber." Rand returned with some clothing in his hand. I recognized them to be the ones that the girl had been wearing when we saved her. "Ben, those Pokémon tolerate you more than they tolerate the rest of us. It's no surprise, since you've ridden them a couple of times." My jaw dropped at his words. Rand frowned at my reaction. "What, you don't remember?"

"Rand, Ben states that he…lost his memories. This young man right here confirms it." Weber nodded to Ambar.

"And you are?" Rand looked at my friend.

"Ambar Sarin. My family and I moved from another region and are staying here until our new mansion is being furnished with our things. My family found Ben floating in the ocean. When he returned to consciousness, he told us that he only remembered his name." The area ranger's eyes flickered toward me for a second before he nodded at the bundle of clothes in his hand.

"Nice to meet you." He turned to address Weber. "Nema asked me to burn these clothes and get Crimson some cream that she had invented back at our house. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

"Actually," Weber interrupted, quickly grabbing ahold of Rand before he disappeared. "I'll go do those things for you while you talk to Ben and Ambar. I'm sure that Nema would like a good explanation about what happened once she heads downstairs." He waved the bundle of clothes at us before heading out the door. Rand sighed and turned back around to face us.

"Why don't you take a seat?" He offered, gesturing to the sofas that were set up in the back of the shop.

* * *

"Crimson's not as pale as she was before." The blue haired girl nodded to her father before seating herself on the arm of his chair. "So what did you find out?"

"Well, all that Ben seems to remember right now is his own name and how he met Ambar and his family when he came to," Rand replied, tapping the free arm of his armchair with his fingers. "I had to explain to him how he came to know us and Crimson." Nema narrowed her eyes at me.

"Well, if he's not the Ben that Crimson's remembering, then maybe he should just call her Summer for now." Nema huffed before shooting Ambar and I a suspicious look. "Did you guys see a pair of dog tags when you 'saved' her? Crimson's missing hers right now and I know she'll freak out if she doesn't have it," Nema quickly told her dad when he arched any eyebrow at her.

"I didn't see anything metal," Ambar replied and I shook my head to relay the same message. Nema looked conflicted.

"I'll have to go and look for it, then."

"Nema, it's dangerous out there. Who knows if the people who almost…Anyway, I'm not letting you go out there on your own. You'll need at least three other people to watch out for you," Rand huffed. A small movement caught my eye and a Pichu carrying a ukulele on its back clambered over to Nema, holding up something shiny in its hands.

"Pichu? What's thi—Oh! Did you find it for us? Thank you so much!" Nema's smile lit up immediately as she smoothed her thumb over the items in her hand. "Papa, Pichu found it for us. Crimson's going to be so relieved…" She frowned for a second. "Hmm…looks like the chain broke. I'll have to fix it…"

"Ben, why don't you ask them about your dog tag? You have it with you, right?" I blinked before pulling out the beaded chain around my neck. I studied the front of the blank metal plate before turning it onto the back, where a saying was engraved.

"Nema, do you mind if I see that for a second? I just want to confirm if…uh…" I scrambled for a name. "Summer's is made similarly to mine." Nema stiffened and her eyes grew cold and distant again.

"You forgot your promise, huh?" She whispered. I strained my ears to hear her words. She straightened up. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that. Crimson told me that you had made a promise to her about keeping your dog tags separate." I frowned, feeling a bubble of irritation and desperation grow inside of me.

"This is the only way to confirm that I'm really a ranger," I told her. Nema narrowed her eyes at me and reached her hand out to me.

"I'll check them. I'm good with identifying metals anyway." I hesitated before dropping my dog tag into her hand. She studied it for a second and handed it back. "It is. It's the same size and shape as Crimson's. Now if you don't mind me," she spat, turning on her heel, "I'm going to check on Crimson." She paused for a second and glared at me again. "And by the way, _Ben_," she hissed my name with contempt, "You're supposed to have two. Maybe that's why you're so disoriented right now." With that, she stalked off toward the staircase.

Ambar exchanged a look with me as Rand sighed and rubbed at his temples. "I'm sorry about Nema's behavior right now. Crimson was absolutely…distraught when she found out you had gone missing. You two were extremely close." The area ranger said slowly. "Nema's been raised to really treasure promises and she doesn't take anything for an excuse. Even if what you're telling her isn't an excuse." Rand leaned back in his armchair and sighed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Rand—" Ambar started. Rand cracked open an eye and cut him off quickly.

"Just call me Rand."

"Alright. Rand, do you mind telling us a little more about…Summer? I'm sure that if you tell us more about her, we might be able to stir up some of Ben's memories." I frowned at his words. I doubted that it would help.

"It's worth a try," Rand said before leaning forward. "Crimson is an extremely talented and kind girl. She ran around the entire region of Oblivia doing the smallest of favors from just about anyone. She defeated an evil organization known as the Societa with your help." He nodded at me. "She succeeded in calming down several agitated Pokémon that threatened to cause havoc in Oblivia. And not to mention she's amazing with Pokémon in general. They cluster around her and are naturally drawn in by her." Rand paused for a second before adding, "She's earned quite a name at both the Ranger Union and in all of Oblivia. I've heard people address her as the Hero of Oblivia several times now."

"She sounds like an astounding girl," Ambar breathed, his dark eyes glittering.

"She is," Rand agreed. "She's sarcastic at times, but she has a good sense of humor. Not only that, but she keeps my daughter well in check. I just hope what happened earlier in the evening won't scar her forever." He coughed into his fist. "Well, it's getting late. Why don't you boys head over to your house and tell your parents that you'll be staying the night here?" Ambar's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Rand quickly added, "I'm sure there's a lot more I want to try to get Ben to remember his past. We'll also have to contact the Ranger Union to tell them that Ben's okay." Ambar and I nodded at his words. There was a sharp tapping sound and Rand frowned. "What could that be?" He walked over to the door and cracked it open a sliver. Something brown and white slammed the door open, nearly knocking Rand to the wall as it hurled itself at me.

"Starr!" Ambar hurried over to help Rand back onto his feet. A Staraptor circled around me before hovering before me. "Starr!"

"Well Ben, it seems that your Staraptor managed to track you down." Rand patted me on the shoulder. "But since it doesn't seem like you remember him right now, one of my ideas has already gone down the drain. No worries," he told me when he saw the look on my face. "There'll be plenty more to do in the morning. Now why don't I get you situated on the sofas? I'll wake you up early in the morning."

* * *

A/N: I feel horrible for what happened to Crimson. Unfortunately, I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil the plot. I will however, give some guidelines.

Sarin is the family name. Ambar (the eldest brother) means "Sky", Alisha (the eldest daughter, is in some sort of relationship with Ben) means "Protected by God", Shanti (the youngest sister/sibling) means "Peace", Rashmi (the mother) means "Ray of Light", Marut (youngest son) means "Wind", and Kamran (father) means "Success". I found these names via baby naming websites.

Alisha's relationship with Ben will be more explored in the next chapter. Truthfully, I'm not liking her right now, but then again, I haven't really written about her yet. Anyway, lots of things are to come-including a visit from a childhood friend!

R&R!


	10. Chapter 9

Conflict! Angst! I'm wondering if I should change the subject of this Fanfic from "adventure" to "angst"! Although "angst" fits the story better, I'm usually turned off when I'm looking for stories and see that they're labeled angst. Should I do it anyway?

Anyway, this is got to be one of the shorter chapters that I've written once I had finished with all the summarizing. I was going to add more, but...it just felt like I was at a good place to stop for now.

I hope everyone enjoys this!

I DON'T OWN POKEMON!

* * *

I let out a low groan and shifted, wincing at how my face started throbbing immediately. The gentle hand that was smoothing a damp rag on my forehead froze. "Crimson?" I blinked and squinted as the fuzzy pictures in front of me focused.

"Nema?" I croaked. Her blue eyes were full of concern.

"Here." She shifted so that instead of resting my head in her lap, I was now sitting at an angle. She passed me a glass of water and watched as I took a hesitant sip. I winced as the water came in contact with my dry throat "Slow and steady, Crimson." She rubbed my back and held me as I felt sleep attempt to take me from consciousness.

"I thought I saw Ben," I whispered. Nema froze and stared at me. I chuckled softly at her reaction. "I know—that's exactly how I felt when I saw him. It was probably a dream." I closed my eyes and tried to remember his appearance in the moonlight. "It was a good dream…" I murmured softly as black spots clouded my vision. I was faintly aware of Nema starting to panic as my vision became unfocused again. "Such…a good dream…" Something warm trailed down my face and I closed my eyes, exhausted.

* * *

When I awoke again, Nema was fiddling with something beyond my seeing range. I turned my head to the other side and saw Ukulele Pichu curled up around his instrument, sleeping soundly. He must've played music for me while I was asleep. "Nema," I whispered. She looked up, both startled and pleased that I was awake.

"How are you feeling?" She knelt down beside me and studied my face. I mentally noted the dark circles under her eyes. "You don't look as pale as you were earlier."

"I'm feeling irritated," I told her as I tried to shift myself into a sitting position. She quickly reached out an arm and tried to help me get situated. "That you're babying me like that. I'm not all bruised and broken because of _that_." The thought of it made me shiver, but I did my best to keep my expression straight. Nema looked like she wasn't completely convinced, but a warm breath on my neck make me turn around in surprise to meet a familiar face. "Entei! You've been here the whole time?" He blew gently on my hands and brought his face in to nuzzle me gently. "Thank you," I whispered, pressing my face into his fur. I quickly turned back to Nema. "Anyway, what were you working on?"

Nema looked surprised for a second before reaching over to grab something from the table. Immediately, my hand flew to my neck, reaching blindly for something that wasn't there. Nema's eyes softened as she offered me the chain and watched me as I scrambled to put it on. "That's not the only surprise papa and I have in store." She watched me carefully. "Come on. There's someone I want you to meet downstairs." Confused, I took her hand and allowed her to help me up. Immediately, Entei was on his feet, offering me his back so I could brace myself against him as I walked.

"So what's this whole 'someone I want you to meet'?" I laughed as Nema and Entei helped me down the stairs. "I'm sure it's nothing. You always make such a big deal out of things." I smiled at her when we reached the bottom of the stairs. She tried to smile back but her smile quickly faded back to a conflicted frown. I furrowed my eyebrows in concern. "Nema?"

"Crimson. It's great to see you again." I turned around, smiling as I turned in the direction of Rand's voice.

"Yeah, I—" My smile froze when I saw the two boys sitting on the sofa. One of them was the attractive dark-skinned boy that I had seen last night and the other…the other was Ben. "I…" I trailed off, feeling the floor shatter from beneath me. Without warning, my legs gave out underneath me and I slid to the floor. "_Ben?_" He looked worried as he stood up and cleared his throat.

"H-h-hello, Summer." He coughed awkwardly. "I'm—"

"W-why are you calling me by Summer?" I looked at him in disbelief. "Y-you were the first person to start calling me Crimson…" He turned his face away and he chewed nervously on his lip.

"Crimson…" Nema touched my shoulder gently. I looked up helplessly at her. "Ben's lost his memory." A cold feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I blinked a couple of times and started laughing hard. I was aware of everyone's startled eyes on me. "Crimson?" Nema asked carefully as took the hand that I reached out to her. I pulled myself to my feet and chuckled, wiping the tears of amusement from my eyes.

"Sorry, that was extremely rude of me." I walked over to him and held out my hand. "I'm Summer. Don't worry about calling me Crimson." I turned to Rand. "Did you call the Ranger Union yet?" He shook his head. "Great! I'll call them in a bit. I should be the one to tell them what happened to Ben."

"Crimson…" Rand looked conflicted and reached over to touch my shoulder. The second that his hand made contact with my shoulder, I flinched. Immediately, he withdrew his hand and watched me with worried eyes. I shook it off.

"Sorry about that. I think I'm still skittish from yesterday. By the way, what time is it?" My eyes flew open with alarm when they told me it was around ten in the morning. "Oh god! I'm late for my patrol!" I glanced around me, flustered. "Where's my Styler? Where's my uniform?" Gentle hands laid themselves on my shoulders.

"They're upstairs, Crimson." She murmured softly. "Your Styler got roughened up a bit, but I fixed it for you." I gave her a beaming smile.

"Great! Thanks Nema!" I bounded up the stairs, ignoring Entei as he trailed after me. Pichu looked up blearily from where he was curled up and headed out after me. "I'll see you all in a bit!" I called before slamming the door shut behind me. Pichu said nothing to me as the two of us headed down Sophian Road and down to Canal Ruins. I hummed softly to myself as I entered Suicune's cave and called out for him. Immediately, the blue Pokémon landed in front of me, watching me with amethyst eyes.

"Hey Suicune! Thanks for saving me last night. I was really unprepared for what had happened." I stroked his muzzle briskly, laughing shakily as I continued to blabber on. "I'll be more careful next time. By the way, did you see—" Suicune's steady gaze made me stop automatically. I gazed at him before wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face into his mane. "Ben…he doesn't remember me anymore," I whispered, feeling anguish rip my heart into tiny, fragmented pieces. "He doesn't—!" My mask shattered and I wailed, crying into his mane as I clung onto him desperately. Ukulele Pichu, who had been quiet all this time, hopped onto Suicune's back and smoothed my hair gently with his paw.

"_He doesn't remember me!_" The words were a dagger to my heart. But I kept repeating them, kept hurting myself until I was numb. _Numb is good_, I thought myself. _Numb is why you put yourself at a distance with other people. People can hurt you. But Pokémon won't._ I sobbed harder, twisting my fingers in Suicune's mane and clenching my hand with bunches of his fur in my palms. _You were wrong to let Ben close. He's too close now. You're just hurting yourself more. So keep beating yourself down with your words until you're too numb to feel the pain. Go back to being the girl you used to be when you didn't know Ben. Go back to being the girl who only lost one important person from her life instead of two. Go back to when your father was the only man you lost…_

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

It was early in the morning when the girl finally awoke. The blue-eyed girl Nema and her father Rand told me to call her Summer for now. They told me that she only let the people close to her call her Crimson.

Anyway, Ambar and I had been in the room when the girl awoke. "Crimson?" I had been nodding off them and immediately became alert again when I heard Nema say the Summer's nickname. I heard Summer croak something and Nema turned to grab the glass of water by the tabletop. "Here." The girl was shifted and took slow sips of water. I glanced over at Ambar and saw that he was staring intently at the two girls on the bed. A mixture of concern and awe glowed in his eyes.

"I thought I saw Ben." I heard Summer whisper. She chuckled faintly when Nema's figure stiffened. "I know—that's exactly how I felt when I saw him." I got up and inched closer to the bed. Summer's blue eyes were hazed and unseeing. "It was probably a dream." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was good dream…" She whispered before opening her eyes again. They were complete unfocused by now. "Such…a good dream…" Summer's eyes closed again and a small tear slipped down the side of her face. Rand had explained the relationship between Crimson and I last night, but I felt like he and Nema were hiding something when he had suddenly cut her off.

All I learned was that before I "lost my memory", I had been a Pokémon Ranger—whatever the hell that is—and Summer's partner. According to Weber and Nema, Summer and I were extremely close and always went on patrols together. Nema told me that my partner Pokémon—again, whatever the hell that was—was a Staraptor. Ambar told them about how he and his family found me drifting in the ocean, unconscious and bruised. He said that when I came to, I had no recollection of what happened earlier and the only thing I remembered was my name. He told them what region we had come from and mentioned how he and his family were going to be moving to their new home on an island they had bought for themselves.

Rand—the "area ranger" of Oblivia, told me to hang around for a bit. He said that Summer had been very distraught when I disappeared and that it would do her some good if she saw that I was safe again. Then he hesitantly added that I had been kidnapped once before and Summer had searched day and night to find me again. Truthfully, I felt as if my so-called partner had some sort of crush on me—or at least some sort of obsession. I didn't say anything about it of course, because from what I've learned already about Nema was that she was extremely protective of Summer. Either way, I couldn't deny that I was attracted the brown haired girl.

Alisha had visited early in the morning to check up on us. Her dark brown eyes glowed when she saw me and she showered my cheeks with loving kisses. Nema's eyes had narrowed and hardened when she saw this, but she said nothing and kept a plastic smile plastered on her face. I flushed at her actions—Alisha was an extremely affectionate person and I was used to being showered with kisses by her. If anything, I enjoyed her attention. She seemed to have some crush on me ever since we had become acquainted and I have to admit that I felt giddy and flustered around her.

Alisha had tried talking to her older brother, but he had merely acknowledged her presence rather than actually greeting her. "I've never seen him so infatuated with a girl," she frowned, looking at her dazed older brother.

"He's interested in her?" Alisha looked at me as if I were blind.

"Of course! Do you see the way that he stares? That girl is beautiful," she added with an edge in her voice. Her gaze was haughty as she stared at the two girls on the bed and the brown Pokémon that lay at the bottom. "I heard the girl has a strong relationship with Pokémon as well. She's talented, beloved, and attractive." The bitter tone in her voice was one of jealousy and it was something I knew well.

"Alisha," I cooed, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. "You're the only one in my eyes." Her eyes regained their happy sparkle and she left with a pleasant air. When I turned back to Nema and Ambar, the blue-haired girl glared at me, no longer hiding her disapproval. Ambar hadn't even turned around when his sister had said farewell to him, keeping his eyes trained on the sleeping girl's figure.

"Why don't we go downstairs and get some breakfast?" Nema grit out, obviously doing her best not to snap at me. She turned to the brown beast and addressed it. "Entei, please watch over Crimson for me. I'll bring up your food in a bit." The large Pokémon nodded at her and gently leapt onto the bed, curling up like a Persian around her. He lowered his head and gave Summer a couple of long, loving licks, being careful not to snag her hair while he groomed it for her.

At the breakfast table, Nema continued to glare at me and it was only then that Ambar became aware of her leers. He scowled at her and she immediately turned her gaze to return his look. Suddenly, Ambar seemed to lose his temper. "I don't know what your problem is, but you really have to learn that glaring at people all the time isn't respectful or kind!" He snapped. Nema's eyes blazed with a similar kind of fire.

"Well should I be respectful to the fool who's breaking Crimson's heart right now?" She all but roared at him as she slammed her hands on the table. Ambar and I were shocked to silence by her sudden actions. She glared at me. "That's what my dad was hesitating to tell you," she spat, "now put it in your thick head and think about it for a second. There's more ways to break a heart than one."

* * *

"Nema should be bringing Crimson down soon," Rand told Ambar and I, minutes after his daughter had disappeared up the staircase. "Just…be gentle with Crimson for now. She's probably still delicate from last night. We don't want to break her." There was genuine concern in Rand's eyes as laughter came from the staircase. Suddenly, there she was.

There was a light in her eyes as she laughed, holding onto Nema with one arm and leaning against Entei with the other. Her laughter melodious and joyful—unlike what I'd expect from a girl who was brutally violated last night. "I'm sure it's nothing. You always make such a big deal out of things." She smiled at her friend before she saw the look on Nema's face. Immediately, her joy and amusement faded. "Nema?" That was when Rand cleared his throat and addressed her.

"Crimson. It's great to see you again." She turned around, a smile lighting up her face again.

"Yeah, I—" Her smile faded when she caught sight of Ambar and I. She looked over him for a second and the light in her eyes died out the second she met mine. "I…" She looked vulnerable and fragile as she opened and closed her mouth. Without warning, she slid onto the floor, staring at me with wide blue eyes. _Don't look at me like that_, I thought painfully as my heart clenched. _Please don't look at me like that…_ "_Ben?_" Quickly, I stood up and cleared my throat before giving her a quick smile.

"H-h-hello, Summer." I coughed awkwardly. "I'm—"

"W-why are you calling me by Summer?" She looked broken now and confused. Her voice was filled with a childish innocence. I found I couldn't stare into her eyes any longer. "Y-you were the first person to start calling me Crimson…" _I was?_ I averted my eyes and chewed on my lip nervously. I felt cruel and absolutely wretched for how much pain I was causing this girl. But the problem was that I had no idea how to stop it.

"Crimson…" Nema touched her shoulder gently. "Ben's lost his memory." There was a moment of silence before laughter filled my ears. Startled I looked up to see her laughing hard, clutching her stomach as she doubled over. The fear and confusion on Rand and Nema's faces only added to my discomfort. Ambar, however, was watching with a mixture of admiration and bewilderment. "Crimson?" Nema asked carefully as took the hand that was offered to her. Summer pulled herself to her feet and wiped at her eyes, chuckling as she did so. Her eyes turned back to me and I saw a glassy sheen on them.

"Sorry, that was extremely rude of me." She walked over to me and held out a hand. "I'm Summer. Don't worry about calling me Crimson." I shook it hesitantly and watched as she turned to Rand. "Did you call the Ranger Union yet?" He shook his head. She beamed. "Great! I'll call them in a bit. I should be the one to tell them what happened to Ben."

"Crimson…" Rand looked conflicted and reached over to touch her shoulder. The second his hand made contact with her, a scared look appeared in her eyes and she flinched. Immediately, he withdrew his hand and watched her worriedly. She gave another laugh.

"Sorry about that. I think I'm still skittish from yesterday. By the way, what time is it?" Her eyes flew wide in shock. "Oh god! I'm late for my patrol!" She looked around frantically, almost appearing desperate as she searched the room. "Where's my Styler? Where's my uniform?" Nema gently laid her hands on Summer's shoulders.

"They're upstairs, Crimson." She murmured softly. "Your Styler got roughened up a bit, but I fixed it for you." Summer stared at her for a minute before beaming at her.

"Great! Thanks Nema!" She raced up the stairs, Entei trailing after her. Five minutes later, she returned, dressed in a bright and eye-catching outfit with a Pichu trailing sleepily after her. "I'll see you all in a bit!" She called before the door slammed shut behind her. The house was silent for several minutes as Rand stared at his daughter, who had her back turned to us.

"Nema?" He asked softly.

"She's not okay," the blue eyed girl spat, turning to face us. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "Crimson…she's gotten better at faking her emotions but…" Nema tore her eyes away, clenching her fists. "_It's not enough!_ It's obvious that she was breaking down as she was talking to us. She started laughing because she wanted to get rid of the silence. She wanted to escape where we wouldn't be fussing over her at every moment." Nema paused for a second before shouting, "_She's trying her hardest to stay strong!_" Rand reached forward and rubbed soothing circles on his daughter's back as her sobs racked her body. He glanced over to us and offered us a smile.

"Why don't you boys go on home?" He suggested kindly. I felt torn between chasing after Summer, staying here to talk more with Rand, or to head home with Ambar. My friend's hand rested gently on my shoulder and he pulled on me lightly.

"Time to go home," he whispered in my ear before leading me to the door. His dark eyes met mine earnestly and I dropped my head as I left a shattered mess of pain and confusion not only in the house behind me, but deep within the depths of my heart. If I didn't know who I was before…then I grew less certain with each passing moment.

* * *

A/N: WHAT IS THIS TENSION BETWEEN AMBAR AND CRIMSON?! Oh, and by the way, he's going to be referring to her as Summer, if you were wondering what name he'd call her by. This is the other...uh...wave of rising action, guys!

LOOK FORWARD TO A GUEST APPEARANCE FROM A CHILDHOOD FRIEND!

R&R!


	11. Chapter 10

AHA! SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE SDLKFJSADSPDF! EXPLANATIONS IN AUTHOR NOTE SODJLSKDFJSKDLKF!

DOES NOT OWN POKEMON!

* * *

I spent the entire morning in Canal Ruins with Suicune and Pichu. The three of us patrolled nonstop, thoroughly searching one location before heading to the next. Suicune seemed absolutely determined to fix his nose on the scent that had been left behind by the two men who assaulted me. All I knew was that one of them was called "Bridges" and I was convinced that it was more of a nickname than an actual name. However, Suicune's choice in sending the other man into the river had been impulsive and definitely made our mission much more difficult.

"It's okay, Suicune. At least it seems that they've left Sophian Road." I stroked his neck reassuringly. He tossed his mane in irritation but listened to my words as we headed back toward the entrance of the Aqua Resort. "I'll see you later," I told him. He bowed his head to me and leapt onto the surface of the water, disappearing from sight in seconds.

I let out a long sigh as I walked back into the resort. Pichu scrambled over to the fountain and I seated myself down next to him. There seemed to be more people than usual hanging around in the area, but otherwise, the resort was fairly peaceful and quiet. I closed my eyes and savored the peace for a second. It had been chaotic earlier this morning when I was told that Ben had lost practically all of his memory. I planned to call the Ranger Union a little later in the afternoon to report about Ben's current predicament, but it seemed much more reasonable to start the call now. After all, it was going to be a couple of hours before the next patrol would start.

"Summer!" I looked up to see a dark-skinned boy waving at me from farther down the resort. He was the same one that had been in the room with Ben and Rand when Nema had led me down the stairs. I waved back at him and was surprised when he suddenly started running toward me. Behind him trailed four other dark-skinned people and Ben. "I'm afraid that I haven't introduced myself even though I've seen you around before. My name is Ambar. This is my family." He nodded to the people who were following close behind. "We're going to be staying here for a week or two before we go and move into our new manor."

"Nice to meet you," I replied. "I hope you and your family enjoy your stay here." He smiled a broad, toothed grin at me and opened his mouth to stay something. However, there was a sound of several Pokéballs going off in the background and I turned my head in that direction. Immediately, several Pokémon descended on me, looking overjoyed as they knocked me into the fountain. I came up spluttering and staring at the Pokémon in front of me. Then I realized who they were.

"Crescendo?Evanescent?" A Swampert and a Gardevoir helped me out of the fountain. My jaw dropped as I saw all the others who were gathered around me. "Arky! Paladin!" An Arcanine wagged her tail happily and a Dragonite greeted me happily. "Flamel and Titanium…What are you all doing here?" Muzzles where pushed into my hands happily and Crescendo's arms wrapped around my neck. I couldn't help but laugh. "That means Zenith's here too…" I looked up and scanned my surroundings hurriedly. A man in a tan trench coat, black shades, and a tan fedora made a cutting-throat gesture. My jaw dropped open. "_Zenith?_"

"What? Zenith?WHERE?!" Immediately the people in the resort came to life, looking around frantically. Zenith shook his hands at me and wildly gestured to the entryway of Sophian Road. He turned and fled into the forest although his Pokémon still crowded around me. I was faintly aware of people charging after me with outstretched arms and I quickly made a run for it. When I raced onto Sophian Road, something grabbed me around my shoulders and lifted me into the sky. Startled, I lifted my head and saw Avius the Pelipper flying casually along, as if he hadn't just plucked me off the road. After a couple of minutes, he began his descent and dropped me gently onto the grass of a secluded patch of forest. He fluttered nonchalantly around my head, plucking out the twigs and leaves that had magically rooted themselves in my hair.

"Crimson," a voice growled. I turned around to see the man in a tan trench coat stalk over to me. He whipped off the fedora and scowled at me behind his shades. I frowned at his appearance.

"Zenith?" He nodded. "Why are you dressed up like that?" He let out a sigh and took his sunglasses off, running his hand through his hair tiredly.

"Because I'm too famous? Why can't I go around defeating champions without getting too much fame?" He groaned as he settled himself down onto a fallen tree. He gave me an irritated look. "You almost blew my cover there. I was trying to get your attention so we could talk without getting everyone in the plaza too riled up, but…These guys decided to pop out of their Pokéballs the second that they sensed you," Zenith huffed as his Pokémon flooded into the area and gathered around me, cooing happily. "These guys just can't stay away." He cracked a smile when a Mightyena trotted up to him and butted his chin affectionately. I studied the wolf in front of him.

"Looks like Tramp's been doing well," I commented, taking in his silky black fur and alert amber eyes. Zenith smiled at me, his grey eyes twinkling. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great. You don't look so good, though." Zenith frowned quickly, taking in my appearance. If anything, I looked completely disheveled and exhausted.

"It's nothing—" I started but he quickly cut me off.

"Crimson, don't you dare lie to me." There was a steely look in his eyes. "You should know better than anyone that I can tell when you're lying." Immediately, I was jolted back to the past. Different fragments of my memories came flying at me.

_Zenith and I ran back from school, giggling together as we skipped across the rocks that stuck out from a fairly shallow pond. "Betcha can't catch me!" I squealed, racing ahead, spreading out my arms and pretending that I was a bird._

"_Well, I'm gonna catch you!" Zenith shouted back, grinning broadly as he chased me all the way back to our houses. I giggled as he grabbed my arm and the two of us slowed down in front of our homes. "Mom's making pasta for dinner," he told me as we neared the fences that surrounded our houses. "Wanna come over?" I beamed at him._

"_I'll ask!" My mother quickly Okayed the matter and I ran over to Zenith's house, cradling a baby Dratini in my hands. Zenith's birthday was coming up in three weeks, but we wanted to get the Pokémon situated and used to being with Zenith so that we could give it to him as a present at the end. Of course, my mom made me promise to keep it a secret._

_The two of us had dinner with his older sister and his parents. It had been lively because Zenith insisted on feeding the Dratini and the Pokémon had been so excited that it knocked Zenith's pasta all over him. Laughing, Zenith raced up the stairs with it in his arms, calling over his shoulder that he was going to take a quick shower with the Dratini. As he was busy with both cleaning himself and the dragon Pokémon up, Michelle, Zenith's sister, talked to me about the Pokémon that my mom and dad took care of. She was interested in becoming a veterinarian and was often over at my house to get advice and learn from my parents._

_Dinner quickly passed by and the two of us leapt around the living room wildly, being chased by the Dratini that I had brought over. The two of us usually hid out in the living room whenever the other came over for a sleepover. The phone rang and Zenith's mom, who was trying to get us to go to bed, quickly left to answer it. The two of us squealed happily as we bounced on the cushions, giggling as the Dratini curled around our bodies and blew on our hair. I was about to throw myself at Zenith to start wrestling with him, but a broad hand settled down onto my shoulder. When Zenith realized that I had stopped jumping around, he skidded to a stop and stared._

_His mother was sniffling as she turned me around, trying her hardest not to cry as she gripped my shoulders tightly. I winced—her grasp had been a little too tight. "Crimson…your brother and your father were in an accident." I blinked up at her, confused. "Your brother's alright, but…" She trailed off, shaking her head silently as the tears began flowing down her face. "Your father…he couldn't make it." She chewed her lip and looked up at me, her chest heaving in an effort to stop crying. "Crimson, your father's dead." And my world came crashing down around me._

_Days passed and my mom quickly told my school that I was devastated after the loss of my father. It had turned out that someone had just robbed a bank and was speeding by. My father, who had been walking my brother home from music lessons, had managed to curl protectively around my brother before impact. From what they told me, he didn't feel a thing._

_After two weeks, I was smiling at everyone again, laughing along with the others as I tried hard to hide my pain. My heart was hollow as I played with my classmates and with the Pokémon my family raised. One day, Zenith dragged me off the corner of his backyard while we were playing with the Dratini that had become his birthday present. "Crimson." He stood with a clenched jaw and fisted arms as he placed his hands against his hips. "You're not okay." Automatically, my mouth opened to give him the mechanical answer that I had given to everyone else. His grey eyes blazed as he lifted his hand to shush me. "Don't you dare lie to me, Crimson. You should know better than anyone else that I can tell that you're lying." I tried smiling at him, but I felt my smile faltering. He drew me into his arms and hugged me tightly. "You don't have to close everyone off," he whispered into my hair. "At least…" He leaned back and frowned at me. "Don't close me and your family off."_

_I stared at him for what felt like centuries and groped blindly for him as I burst into tears. He held onto me then, rubbing my shoulders in an attempt to comfort me. "I'm here, Crimson." His eyes glowed with a promise. "I'll always be here." From then on, whenever I had a dream about my father or broke down without a warning, I always found myself in Zenith's arms, keening softly as he comforted my every sorrow._

"I was only eleven then," I whispered softly. Zenith's eyes softened a little but his jaw was still clenched stubbornly—similarly to how he had looked that day when I opened my heart to the world again. "Zenith, you know the boy I'd been writing to you about, right?" Zenith blinked in surprise before his expression quickly turned dark.

"That guy named Ben? Did he hurt you? He's going to take a beating from me," my friend snarled. I shook my head.

"The thing is, Ben's lost his memory. If he's hurting me, it's definitely not his fault. And that's not the thing that's really hurting me…" I trailed off, twiddling with my fingers. I felt Zenith's firm hands on my shoulder and his eyes burning my scalp. I took a deep breath before telling him. "Yesterday night, I was almost raped by two men." Outrage filled his eyes. "It was dark and everyone else was over at the Reinbow Festival. I had been careless and they took me down before I could react." I hesitated before tugging aside my scarf, showing him the faint bruises that the man named "Bridges" had left behind. Zenith's eyes darkened.

"I was saved by Suicune and Pichu." I nodded over to Ukulele Pichu, who seemed to be acquainting himself with Zenith's Pokémon. "And two boys took me to Weber's house. He's the man who offers me free lodging whenever I visit Sophian Island for ranger duties." I hesitated before adding, "One of them was Ben. It turns out that he lost his memory a couple of weeks ago." Zenith looked conflicted for a moment, but sighed and nodded.

"Alright. When this 'Ben' gets his memory back, be sure to call me. I need to meet this guy for myself." I smiled at him as he pulled me into a hug. "I'll see you around, Crimson," he whispered. I took in his scent and felt my tense muscles relax. There was always something about Zenith that put me at ease, regardless of the circumstances. The two of us held each other, savoring the warmth we shared.

"Crimson!" Startled, I broke away to see Nema standing there with wide eyes. "Oh, god…Did I just interrupt?" She stammered, staring at the deer-in-headlights look on Zenith's face. I quickly recovered from the shock and quickly stopped Nema before she dashed out of the clearing.

"How did you find me, Nema?" I asked, keeping a firm hold on her. She glanced warily at Zenith before turning her attention back to me.

"All of the mikes are tracking devices." I glanced down at my dog tags, which were tucked in my shirt. "Crimson…who is this?" The look Zenith's face was a mixture of relief and surprise.

"Finally!Someone who doesn't know my face!" He cheered, relaxing automatically. Nema shot me a look that was a mixture of amusement and confusion. He coughed awkwardly before holding his hand out to her. "I'm Zenith," he told her. "I'm Crimson's childhood friend. Her family was responsible for getting me half my team." He nodded over at his Pokémon, who were now dancing around Ukulele Pichu as he strummed a tune for them.

"He's also one of the most popular roaming champions of the world," I told Nema. Zenith looked scared as he waited for her reaction. I knew how much Zenith hated to be chased after by fans, but I trusted that Nema wouldn't be like them. "That's why he looks so shady right now. He's trying his best to avoid his fans." Nema snorted at this.

"So the ridiculously famous Pokémon champion is a bit too tired of fame now?"

"He's never liked fame to begin with." I chuckled at Nema's surprised look. "He's only battling because he's ridiculously passionate and competitive." I smiled sadly at him. "In fact, he's so busy that I never really have the chance to talk to him."

"I have a solution for that," Nema quickly spoke up. She dug around in her pockets before she pulled out a small black charger. She offered it to Zenith. "I had actually planned to give that one to Papa, but I'm more than capable of making another one for him." She quickly launched into a quick explanation about it and when Zenith gave me a helpless look, she handed him a slip of paper. "Papa always forgets how to use it, so I always carry instructions around with me," she told him. She turned to me. "Crimson, I hate to break up this reunion, but there are a couple of rangers here from the Ranger Union." I raised my eyebrow in surprise but the look in her eyes told me it was serious business.

"You're not breaking anything up," Zenith quickly told her. He nodded at me. "I was about to leave anyway. Those people are going to find me soon…" He climbed atop Paladin as his Pokémon bid farewell to me. Within seconds, all of them returned into their Pokéballs and Zenith waved goodbye to us. "I'll call you sometime, Crimson!" He called before his Dragonite took off like a bullet.

* * *

"Two rangers—papa told me they were novices—flew by on Staraptors. It turns out the reason why Professor Hastings hasn't called us recently is that the Ranger Union had been attacked," Nema whispered to me as the two of us headed back to the Aqua Resort. I stared at her in shock and she nodded. "Papa and I couldn't believe it either. From what the rangers tell us, the machine is broken and all of the members of the Ranger Union are being relocated to a safer and small Ranger Union in another region. I managed to call Red Eyes and Blue Eyes and got a really brief report from them. The reason why they hadn't been able to report to us on the details of the organization was because although they were recognized figures in the 'evil ranks', they still needed to work to show their loyalty.

"They've been watched carefully for the first couple of days, but they've earned enough trust to confirm what Professor Hastings was warning us about. It turns out these people are enslaving Pokémon. Pokémon are forced to do heavy labor and are beaten into submission. Red Eyes promised to get us the details as soon as he could. However, it seems that one of the higher ranking officials took interest in Blue Eyes." I widened my eyes and Nema grimaced before saying, "he's attractive but from what she's told me, he's psychotic. He almost stabbed a waiter with a dinner knife when he was slow in giving him the bill. Anyway, she told us that the manor that's being finished is definitely part of the plan. We need to get someone to leave with them…"

"Crimson!"Nema and I looked up to see Rand waving from where he stood by Weber's house. The two of us ran toward him and quickly stepped inside. I saw two rangers fiddling with their Stylers as they shifted from side to side.

"Lawrence. Emily." I greeted the two of them. The ranger pair looked up in surprise and smiled hastily at me, looking a bit awestruck and jittery. Lawrence and Emily had been in my class for the first three days of training. From then on, Ben and I had shot up the ranks so fast that we didn't get to really get to know the people who took the examination at around the same time as us. I glanced at their badges and saw that they were painted orange. These two were indeed novices. "What are you two still doing here? I expected Professor Hastings to send another ranger after you by now. You know how impatient he can be." The two rangers shifted nervously before Emily opened her mouth to speak.

"We wanted to know if you had anything you wanted to tell him," Emily burst out, looking slightly desperate. Lawrence quivered with awe beside her. I glanced over at Nema and saw my uneasiness reflected in her eyes. _You're absolutely right, Zenith_, I thought to myself, groaning inwardly, _fame is something that you'll never get used to._

"Just tell him that everything is going as usual." I nodded at the two of them. The two rangers hastily saluted at me and rushed out the door. Rand grunted as he watched the two of them clumsily hop onto their Staraptors.

"Professor Hastings must be desperate right now," he commented. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent inexperienced rangers like those two out by themselves."

"Papa, I filled Crimson in on the details. We're going to need someone to go with the Sarin family," Nema told her father. Rand's eyes focused on me.

"Don't worry, I've got that covered. I was talking to Mr. Sarin while Crimson was on her patrol. It turns out that he is a writer and a plant-loving man. I told him about how good Crimson was with Pokémon and how she's become quite a legend here in Oblivia. That caught his attention quickly enough and he asked to interview you. Not to mention, he asked if you could help work with his plant Pokémon to make sure that his gardens were in good conditions. I also talked to Mrs. Sarin and I found out that she practices hand-to-hand combat. She had overheard my conversation with her husband and was wondering if you were interested in becoming her pupil." Rand looked at me with determined eyes. "As much as I hate to force things on you, Crimson, but this gives you a great opportunity to go in and infiltrate their manor. If anything, this will benefit us in stopping the organization that's building up right now."

"Of course I'll go." I nodded at him. "Nema, you'll stay here." Her jaw dropped and she looked at me with a betrayed expression on her face. "I need you to act as an operator for me. You'll relay information to me and I'll fill you in on everything that's going on. Can you make something for me?" Her shocked expression quickly faded to one of interest.

"What is it?"

"I'm going to accept both of the offers that Mr. and Mrs. Sarin are offering me. I want you to create some tiny cameras that work similarly to the Stealth Communicators." I held up my dog tags. "I'll pass them to Red Eyes and Blue Eyes when I can and hopefully they'll be able to attach them to places where they'll be difficult to spot. I need something that'll have an extremely long battery life and can pick up electricity from the air so that we don't need to go around charging them all the time. Can you make a battery that can absorb the static that Pichu emits whenever he plays his Ukulele? From what I know, the Sarin family going to be hanging around for about two or three more weeks. Hopefully, that will give you enough time to make them." The look in Nema's eyes steeled and she nodded.

"They'll be finished before you know it."

"Not to mention that, but I want you to stock up on your earlier inventions. I'll need more of those Knock-outs just in case I get attacked on my patrols again."

"I'll send Papa over with the Knock-outs in a day or two," Nema told me. "As for the cameras…Papa, I'm going to need you to order some batteries for me. Use the money that Crimson and Ben gave you to pay for it. I'll get mom and Booker to help me with the batteries. I'll tell him it's for a project or something." She shrugged.

"Great." I nodded at her. "I'll go talk to the Sarin family right now. You two should head back home to start working on the projects. I'll call you soon."

* * *

"How did it go?" Nema's voice came through the speakers. In the background, I could hear glass clinking together and something boiling over a fire.

"Perfectly fine. It seems like the parents are ecstatic about having me over. Of course, I had to demonstrate how good I was with Pokémon even though their son Ambar vouched for me. They seemed impressed enough and Mrs. Sarin asked about my experience in fighting. I didn't tell her about the throwing knives part because she would've either freaked out or been super excited about having me as her pupil. It seemed more reasonable for her to freak out though, so I kept it out." I heard Nema snort in amusement. "How's it going over there?"

"Great. I got papa to order a shipment of twenty batteries. I'll tweak them, of course. Then I managed to catch Murph on my way home and sent him to Booker's house so I could get some information about how he had managed to make it so that Pichu's electric shocks could enable him to play his ukulele. Even with express order, it's going to take about three days for them to get it to me."

"I could go on Latias," I offered. I heard Nema say something distant to Leanne before her voice returned to the speaker.

"That sounds great! I'll get Papa to call them as soon as he gets—Oh, papa! Can you call the company and tell them that we'll be sending someone over to get the shipment for us?" A pause. "Yeah, Crimson offered to go on Latias. Really? Great! Alright, Crimson. Papa's calling the company right now. Anyway, back to the camera batteries. So what I'm guessing is that since this is where many of the organization's members are going to be stationed, they're going to have sound-proof walls so that other people can't hear them. I think it's mainly going to be the servant's quarters that'll be soundproofed. That means the wall's going to be reinforced and it's going to be a bit harder to get Pichu's static to go through.

"However, there is a bit of metal mixed in with the best insulation. If we don't do anything with Pichu's ukulele, then we can get a small amount of electricity transferred. _However_, if we can get Pichu's static to be more powerful, then we'll be able to transfer electricity through the wall much more effectively and the batteries will be able to absorb much more of the energy. We'll have to work on making sure that his music gets stronger, just not louder. Even soundproof walls have their exceptions."

"Yeah, that sounds good. Do you know when Booker's going to head over?"

"Hopefully as soon as you get the batteries. Hmm? What's that, papa?" There was a pause and I could faintly hear Rand's voice in the background. "Okay, so papa called the battery company and they'll have our things ready tomorrow morning at seven. Why don't you drop by Booker's house and ask him to go over to mine on your way to the company?" Nema suggested.

"I'll do that." I paused. "Hey Nema, what do you think this should be called? It is a mission after all."

"Operation Stormraider." She replied calmly. I blinked in surprise.

"First of all, who are you and what have you done to the Nema who makes super long and tricky names, and second—what does that have to do with our mission?"

"First of all, Nema is right here and she's much more reasonable with mission names than invention names. Second—you'll be 'storming' the house and ruining the plans of the bad guys. Not to mention, but the name sounds cool."

"It does," I agreed, "but I'm not going to be raiding anything. How about Operation Crusader? I feel like we are going into this with a very justice and moral oriented belief."

"Why don't you call it Operation Crimson? It is mainly your mission anyway." Leanne reasoned. "Operation Crimson Crusader sounds pretty amazing too." I could almost see Nema beaming from the other side of the line.

"Operation: Crimson Crusader! That's it! Wow mom, you're really good at this stuff!" There was something muttered in the background and Nema's voice came through the speakers after a couple of seconds. "I hafta go now. Papa's getting a bit naggy about me losing sleep over something that isn't really created yet. I managed to draw out the blueprints for the general design. The cameras should be about the size of a quarter and the thickness of marble. I'll send a copy over with Papa when he delivers the Knock-out. See ya, Crimson!" There was a click from the other side and I pressed the red button in the middle of my mike to end the call.

I flipped off the lights and laid down onto my bed, feeling Entei rumble sleepily as he shifted to curl around me. I tugged on my dog tags twice and stared up at ceiling, lifting my hand up and clenching it triumphantly. "Operation: Crimson Crusader," I whispered. I closed my eyes. "_Commence!_"

* * *

A/N: Whooo! More tension! Guest appearance from Zenith! AWESOME NEMA INVENTION TIME! OPERATION NAMES = THIS IS WAR!

Guest Appearance - I had actually planned this out from the start-except I wanted to have Ben in the scene. As you can see, that idea quickly died when Ben lost his memory ahead of time. Oh well! You'll see from him later on.

Awesome Nema Invention Time - I had no idea how this whole Camera Business was going to work without making it sound too convenient. Then I remembered that Booker and Nick would tweak Pichu's Ukulele and it could suddenly grow more powerful and Pichu could run more of his charge through the ukulele. Anyway, if this invention is unreasonable, then look at Booker's inventions and say the same.

Crimson's Past - Yes, some of you may not be aware of this, but Crimson has a very dark past. She lost her father when she was eight years old, but whenever she talks about her family, she always acts as if he had never passed. Of course, this is her way to make sure that she isn't judged or treated differently by other people. Although I'm still debating whether I will have a small segment of a chapter dedicated to her remembering her father (there most likely will be one), I can assure you that she was extremely attached to him.

OPERATION NAMES = THIS IS WAR - If you guys have studied WWII, then you know about all the awesome operation names that were used on the different battles. The siege of Leningrad was called "Operation Barbarossa", Battle of Britain was called "Operation Sea Lion", and D-Day was called "Operation Overlord". I swear, if you had to do something in a war, one of the funnest things to do (not that war is fun, guys) would be to be in charge of naming all of these operations. You have to admit, they're pretty cool.

Anyway, this is really another step of calmness in the whole "uphill fight to defeat the baddies". I assure you there will be comical moments, but I'll have to figure out how to stick those in there without making the suspenseful and craziness become like a gag or a crack-tastic scene.

Hey guys, I still want your opinion whether I should change the label on my Fanfic. Should I change "adventure" to "angst"? I've already voiced my opinion about how I'm less likely to read "angst" stories for pairings that I ship, but...I don't know. "Angst" fits much better at this point, but I want people to help me decide because I don't really want to go off on a selfish tangent.

R&R!


	12. Chapter 11

Hey guys, just a quick heads up: I will change the genre of the story from "adventure" to "angst". The new genres of the story are now "Romance/Angst".

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON

ENJOY~~!

* * *

The skin my shoulders tingled as I soared with Latias, feeling absolutely exhilarated as the two of us patrolled the sky. We zipped past bird Pokémon, startling them as we looped through the air and did backwards summersaults. I shivered with delight as the two of us slowed down, taking in the breathtaking view of Oblivia as the clouds parted in front of us and revealed the six island in all their glory. I saw the faint figures of the Sky Fortress and the Reinbow Dias sticking out of the surface of the water. With a satisfied sigh, I steered Latias back down onto Sophian Island, where I would have a small break before meeting with the Sarin family.

A week ago, I had picked up Nema's order of batteries and restocked on Knock-out. Murph dropped in a couple of times to keep me updated on her condition. From what I was hearing, she and Booker were working all day and night on the project that I had given her. Pichu had followed his ukulele to Rand's house, where further inspection and tweaking would be done, so I was left without my partner Pokémon. However, Suicune always seemed to be waiting for me at the entrance of Sophian Road, so I wasn't without a partner.

Entei unwillingly had to return back to Daybreak Ruins. He was starting to get jittery and twitchy after a week or two at Weber's house. According to Leanne, Entei had a responsibility to guard and to patrol his own island. In a way, he was intruding on Suicune's and the new environment was something that he couldn't stand. He left with Murph on The Union with a pitifully heartbroken look on his face.

Latias hovered close to the ground and waited patiently as I jumped off. "Thanks, girl," I whispered, patting her neck affectionate. She cooed lovingly at me before disappearing into the clouds again. I stared up after her, smiling. It was a relief to be around her—Entei was overprotective and Suicune was unnerving and often distanced himself. The water beast never really took time to consider my feelings but usually stood close enough to bring comfort. Latias was the best out of both of them—she was understanding and knew how much reflection time was needed on the past before quickly turning happily to the present. Although I treasured the time that I spent with Entei and Suicune very much, I cherished the time that I spent with Latias the most.

I was suddenly aware of several eyes burning into the back of my head and I quickly turned to see the Sarin family watching me from beside the fountain. I smiled at them and greeted them quickly. "Good morning," they chorused back. The father stepped forward, looking impressed as he reached clap me on the back. I stiffened at the feel of his hand but did my best to hide it. I had not yet forgotten that night with "Bridges". The polite smile on my face quickly felt frozen, but I tried to keep it as natural as possible. _Sub-Operation: "Gain trust" has commenced,_ I thought to myself.

"That was an amazing landing," he complimented me. "Your landing was graceful and the bond between you and that Pokémon was extraordinary." He smiled, revealing two rows of straight, white teeth. "I was thinking about my next work all night. I hope you're excited that I've decided to base the heroine after you."

"Me?" I raised an eyebrow at his words. "I don't think I deserve that privilege." I was faintly aware of two dark eyes boring into my skull angrily. I glanced to my right and caught the angry glare of Mr. Sarin's eldest daughter, Alisha. Her gaze didn't waver as she stared me down. "I'm not one for fame."

"Kamran, don't make her feel uncomfortable," Mrs. Sarin chastised playfully. She turned her sparkling eyes to me. "I'm excited to hear how you'll be joining us at our new manor for a couple of months," she told me. "I've been looking for a new sparring partner that isn't too insistent on going easy on me." She shot an amused look at her husband, who looked slightly exasperated. "Kamran, don't give me that look," she warned. "I'm more than capable of defending myself. Besides," she turned back to me, smiling. "I'm a bit out of practice. _The best way to relearn something is to teach it to someone else_," she recited the old saying that teachers would often give their students when one of them refused to explain it to someone else.

"I can assure you that teaching me won't be too difficult," I told her, "my brother taught me a little of self-defense as a child." I glanced over at Ben to see if he remembered the discussion we had the first day I had met him. It had been a conversation that started just minutes after I had nearly roundhouse kicked him. Instead, I saw a blank expression on his face and Alisha stood a little closer to him, not bothering to hide the fact that she was glowering at me. "I'm also a fairly fast learner." This earned me a snort from the older girl. Mr. Sarin, unlike other parents who would've acted like they hadn't heard anything, turned to give her a warning glare. Immediately, my respect for him increased. I studied her, hoping to keep my expression as guarded as possible.

She was a rather beautiful girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes. Her skin was a bit lighter than her brother's but was a tiny bit darker than her mother's. Her hair had a bit of a wave to it, making it seem more voluminous and silkier than it would have if it were flat and straight. She was nicely shaped as well, with a gentle curve to her waist. She was slender, fine-boned, and well proportioned. Although I had once considered myself somewhat attractive, I felt stocky and ugly next to her. She seemed to be a year younger than I and definitely had some sort of crush on him. I could tell every time she scowled at me whenever she caught me looking at Ben. Deep in a rather protective and possessive part of my heart, I grew more and more irritated with her. I knew how to keep my distance away from a boy who knew acted like a stranger around me—regardless of what history I had with him. When I was his girlfriend, I didn't go making enemies just because a girl glanced in Ben's direction.

After all, Ben had that feel to him. I understand her attraction to him—it was exactly what had pulled me into a friendship with him. He was charismatic, with a bright smile that could light up the room. I had loved the way the skin around his eyes crinkled a little bit whenever he smiled. But that wasn't what drove me head over heels in love with him. I felt a pang of pain before quickly turning my attention to Mrs. Sarin, who was chattering happily on about the different kinds of hand-to-hand combat she was hoping to teach me.

"…I'm really looking forward to this."

"So am I," I agreed, feeling slightly triumphant when Mrs. Sarin beamed at me, unaware of the brewing conflict between her husband and her eldest daughter. Small hands gripped at the hem of my shirt and I turned around to look into eager brown eyes. Shanti, the second-youngest of the family, grinned at me toothily. There were a couple of gaps from where her adult teeth were going to grow had dark brown eyes, skin that was darker than her sister's and silky black hair. Her hair was usually done up in pigtails with bangs of varied lengths covering her forehead.

"Hey Summer?" She asked innocently. I smiled and knelt down until I was eye level with her, affectionately ruffling her hair. Although my actions and feelings toward Mr. and Mrs. Sarin were all part of an act, I couldn't help but feel something more like friendship toward their daughter. She had chased me around ever since I had formally introduced myself to her family. She was always asking me questions about where I came from, what I did as a ranger, what Pokémon I liked, and what I was going to do for the day. Before I knew it, I was starting to become fond of the little girl and her immense love for Pokémon. However, as eager as she was to become friends with Pokémon, often times her eagerness would lead to her pulling on the Pokémon's ears or squeezing them too tight.

"Yes, Shanti?"

"Can I go with you on your patrol today?" Her brown eyes widened at me, giving me a doe-eyed look. I hesitated and glanced at her parents before shaking my head no. A hurt look filled her eyes. "Why?" I blinked at her and gave her the same reply that I had always given her about this matter. Sometimes it took forever to get the idea stuck in a ten-year-old girl's mind.

"Because it's too dangerous." _And Suicune doesn't like strangers_, I added in my head. _If anything, he's the least likely to tolerate having little kids tug on his mane and everything._ Entei was more patient with children—reminding me a little of a father, almost. My heart clenched when I thought of him and how gentle he was with me. It was almost like he had been trying to comfort me over the death of my father even though it had been ten years ago when he had passed away. Raikou was like an older brother—he would tolerate little kids for a bit and even play with them when he was in a good mood—but otherwise he kept his distance. "It can be dangerous sometimes on my patrols. Sometimes Pokémon aren't feeling well and they want to attack someone. Most of the time, I have to cut in before anyone gets hurt."

I was suddenly aware of a pair of eyes burning into the side of my head and I looked up, expecting to see Alisha resuming her glaring. Instead, it was Ambar, watching me with an indescribable look on his face. I was startled by this but steadied my expression as I stared back at him. If anything, his eyes grew darker. "Summer!" I turned my attention back to Shanti, who had dragged her younger brother along with her now, an even more stubborn look on her face. "Marut says he's going too! And he's strong, so we'll be okay even if it's dangerous." Marut gazed at me shyly as if he had been unwillingly dragged over by his sister yet his curiosity still had the best of him. Marut had large brown eyes and long eyelashes. His hair was somewhat curly and framed his face prettily, as if foreshadowing that he would become a beautiful man in the future. He was at a young age of eight years old. Now faced with two doe-eyed children who were quivering with a mixture of excitement and hopefulness, I felt my resolve start to falter. I looked helplessly to their parents, who were watching me with amusement.

Mr. Sarin sighed and waved his hand in a shooing gesture to his youngest children. The two of them immediately deflated, walking dejectedly back to their parents' sides. I watched after them helplessly—torn between making them happy and keeping them safe. There was a flash of blue and Ambar was quickly at his father's side. "Father, I am interested in joining Summer on her patrol as well. Is it possible that you will allow Shanti and Marut to accompany us?" Immediately the faces of his two siblings lit up and they beamed hopefully at their parents. Seeing the slightly conflicted look on his father's face, he quickly flashed a reassuring smile at me and turned to his sister. "Alisha. I'm sure that you're interested in this patrol as well." She glowered at him and spat her answer with a venomous glare in my direction.

"Not interested!" A slightly irritated look crossed Ambar's face, but he said nothing to her before turning to Ben.

"How about you, Ben? Perhaps you'll be able to remember something from this patrol," Ambar suggested. Immediately, my former partner looked conflicted, as if torn between wanting to know more about his past and wanting to avoid me and the awkward tension that awkwardly settled between us. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and Ambar's grin grew even broader. Immediately, Alisha's scowled deepened although she quickly dropped it when Ben cast a slightly concerned but confused look in her direction. My jaw nearly dropped in surprise. Ambar was quite the persuader!

"If you and Ben are there to watch the children, then it is fine," his father consented. He nodded at me. "I can trust you to keep them safe?"

"I'll do everything in my power, Mr. Sarin," I replied. We were strictly taught in the Ranger Union that accidents can occur during patrols and disasters can happen, but we were to do everything in our power to avoid and/or stop them. Immediately, the five of us turned to leave, but Mrs. Sarin's voice stopped us in our tracks.

"Alisha? Didn't you say you weren't going to go?" All of us turned to see Alisha trailing behind with a begrudging scowl on her face. Quickly, she wiped it off and turned to respond to her mother.

"I changed my decision," she replied flatly. Mrs. Sarin raised an eyebrow but said nothing as her husband quickly tugged her away. She immediately returned her scowl to me. "Got a problem with that?"

"Absolutely not," I replied calmly. A roar filled the air and Alisha and her younger siblings all flinched. Ben and Ambar, however, watched as Suicune bounded across the water. He placed his muzzle against my hand and looked up in my eyes. I smiled at him and stroked his head softly. "Sorry, Suicune," I whispered. "Not today. I'll see you around later." With a dip of his head, he disappeared, leaving a wake of ripples on the surface of the water.

"What was that?" Shanti squeaked, being the first of the three to recover.

"That was Suicune. Guardian of Sophian Island and the overseer of the Canal Ruins," I replied, brushing aside tree fronds. An animal called out to me and a Grotle lumbered over, greeting me. I smiled and brushed my hand over its head fondly. I had captured him yesterday when he had attacked a wandering tourist and he seemed to be fairly agreeable today. After I judged his reaction to Shanti and Marut holding their arms out to him, I carefully placed both of them onto his back, where the two children gripped onto the small bushesthat grew from his shell. "Hold on carefully, but not too tight," I warned the two of them. Alisha tugged Ben along and the two of them walked close behind the Torterra and the two children who were taking in the forest with wide eyes. Ambar quickly fell back in his pace and walked alongside me.

"This is amazing. I can see why you've become a ranger now," Ambar commented, looking appreciatively at our surrounds. I smiled at his remark. It was only part of the reason why I had become a ranger.

"It's not the only thing," I told him as my ears began to naturally began to seek out the sounds of the forest Pokémon. He raised an eyebrow at me as if he wished for me to continue. "I love Pokémon. My parents raised and bred them, so I was raised amongst them ever since I was a child." I smiled nostalgically, remembering the priceless expression on Zenith's face when I came over with a Growlithe with a bowtie around her neck. He was so happy then that he could barely find the words to describe how overwhelmed he was. "My best friend and neighbor loved them so much that he decided to go on an adventure and challenge trainers all over the world. Every time he won a battle against a champion, he always seemed to be smiling through the TV to my family and I."

"Are those the only reasons?" Ambar asked quietly. I shook my head softly.

"I've always had a way with Pokémon. I thought that instead of going into law enforcement, medicine, or other occupations, I wanted to dedicate myself to protecting the relationship between Pokémon and people—regardless of whether the Pokémon were domesticated or not." I spotted a Roselia and quickly waved Ambar over. Confused, he scanned the area but knelt down carefully. I couldn't help but smile at how he wasn't aware of the Pokémon right in front of him. I took out a small piece of hardened honey—a treat that could be created by allowing Combee honey to crystalize—and held out my hand as I offered the treat to the Roselia. Hardened honey treats were something that I had given to the Pokémon who followed me around as I completed quests and missions.

I pressed a finger to my lips as I noticed the Roselia shifting slowly, already interested by the treat in the palm of my hand. Ambar watched with wide eyes as the Roselia carefully tiptoed forward and gently took the piece of hardened honey from me. Staying where it was, the rose Pokémon nibbled on the treat, waves of happiness literally radiated from it. After finishing the treat, the Roselia gently tiptoed back to its hiding place and resumed its appearance as an everyday rose bush. I glanced over in Ambar's direction and saw his brown eyes glowing as he let out a breathless laugh, a mixture of awe and respect in his eyes. I stood up and dusted off the back of my shorts, smiling at him as he did the same. "As a Pokémon ranger, you're taught how to notice the smallest things in Pokémon. Back at the Ranger Union, they placed a strict emphasis on Pokémon identification. Since my parents bred and took care of Pokémon that passing trainers would drop off while they were in the area, I was quite familiar with Pokémon by the time that I joined the Ranger Union."

"That was amazing," he whispered, looking at me with a new light in his eyes. His smile grew and nearly blinded me with how sincere it was. "Thank you so much for showing me that." I shrugged nonchalantly and grinned back at him.

"As a ranger and my own person, I work hard to bring respect and love to both people and Pokémon. It was my pleasure to do so," I told him. I was suddenly aware of two eyes staring at me and looked up, expecting either Alisha and her death glare or Suicune hovering by as the distant guardian. Instead, it was Ben, staring at me with a mixture of wonder, wistfulness, and another emotion I couldn't identify. By the time that he had noticed I was staring back at him, Ambar had already turned around to see what had caught my attention. Quickly, Ben cleared his throat and smiled at his friend.

"Alisha and the others were wondering where you were. The Grotle that was carrying Marut and Shanti refused to move after realizing that you weren't close behind." He hesitated before adding, "Alisha got irritated with it and it seems to be on worse terms with her now…" There was a distant shout and I sprung forward, quickly breaking into a sprint as I rounded the corner and found the two children clinging desperately on the back of the Grotle as it snapped at a screaming Alisha. She was glowering at it, distaste and anger twisting her face into an ugly mask. I heard footsteps behind me and saw Ben and Ambar skidding to a stop behind me. Both boys seemed to be horrified by the situation.

Forgetting my place, I glared at the two of them and started barking out instructions. Several months without Ben balancing out the work for me had definitely made me much more of a domineering and bossy person. "Ambar!" The dark boy's head quickly snapped in my direction. "Get your sister to calm the heck down. Ben!" The brown haired boy turned to me with wide eyes. "Get your act together. Your body will most likely remember training. I need you to help me get Shanti and Marut off the Grotle's back." Ben hesitated and flinched when Shanti let out a scared yelp. I snarled and turned my back him. Marut was barely holding on, tears running down his face as he sobbed fearfully. The Grotle was getting more and more agitated—possibly from the sound of Alisha's angry screams.

I circled the Grotle until I was behind it. Quickly, I swooped in and grabbed Marut off its back. As I did so, Shanti's grip seemed to had slipped and she let out a little shriek of fear. I stared at her, torn between dropping Marut to the ground in order to save her and hurting both of them at the same time. Two hands quickly took Marut from me and I looked up to see Ben standing there with a mixture of urgency and fear blazing in his eyes. As soon as Ben's arms wrapped around Marut's waist, I lunged forward and managed to catch Shanti as she lost her grip and flew from the Grotle's back. The two of us rolled and I curled my body around her, hoping to take the majority of the damage. We slammed into a tree hard and I felt the breath being knocked out of me. The Grotle, now free of the weight of two children on its back, advanced toward Alisha who was still screaming profanities and Ambar, who was desperately trying to drag her away. There was no time to lose.

I quickly untangled myself from Shanti before running forward, leaping over the Grotle's back and pushing down on its shell to propel me forward. I landed and quickly twisted my body so that I was facing the Grotle. I slammed my forearm against its head, wincing slightly on impact. Immediately, its focus turned onto me and all hatred toward Alisha was forgotten. I whipped out my Styler and began to send the machine around the Pokémon in rapid hoops. The Grotle tossed its head, more angry from my blow than hurt.

There was a roar and Suicune erupted from the undergrowth, bowling over the Grotle. As he landed neatly on his feet, the plant Pokémon tumbled onto its side. Taking advantage of the stunned Pokémon, I charged my Styler and drew rapid hoops around the Grotle. Within seconds, the Grotle was looking around with a mixture of confusion and innocence. I let out a long sigh and returned my Styler to its place on my wrist. Voice Nav. spoke up immediately. "Wild Grotle is no longer agitated. Wild Grotle is no longer agitated." Walking over to the large Pokémon, I braced myself against the top of its shell and pushed until it was back onto its feet. It blinked at me before lumbering off into the undergrowth like nothing had happened.

Suicune nudged me with his muzzle once before streaking off toward the river again. I felt my forearm sting from where I had slammed it against the Grotle, but I ignored it. Marut and Shanti were still probably terrified from the experience. I turned to see Ben cradling Marut to his body as Shanti stared at me with wide eyes. I braced myself to see her scarred by this experience, but her eyes shone back at me like stars. There was a mixture of awe and respect in her eyes. "That was amazing!" She squeaked, hopping around me happily. "You were like a superhero, Summer!" I blinked at her, quickly scanning her over. Thankfully, it didn't seem like she had gotten hurt during our tumble. She looked a little dusty here and there, but otherwise she seemed to escape unscathed.

I grabbed her shoulders and slowed her down. "Are you hurt anywhere?" I asked. She frowned and shook her head.

"Nope! You protected me from everything. I'm not hurt one bit!" I glanced over at Ben, who was now crooning softly to Marut. The young boy turned his tear streaked face toward me and I hesitated, expecting him to turn his face quickly away. Instead, the boy let out another wail and reached his hand out to me, new tears streaming down his face as he groped the air in front of him. Immediately, my heart melted. I walked over to him and stroked his cheek gently. Ben gazed at me and when I lifted my gaze to meet his, I was surprised by how much warmth was in his eyes. His eyes widened a bit when mine met his and warmth flooded into my heart.

"Summer!" Before I knew it, the connection was lost and Ben quickly turned his attention back to Marut while I turned to face Ambar. He looked over me worriedly, eyes widening as he looked at the bloody scrapes on my knees and elbows. "You're bleeding!"

"It's not a big deal," I tried to assure him. "These are small things." An image of me battling Kasa's Ditto and Arley's Regigigas flashed through my head and I shivered. Ambar frowned, taking my shudder as one of pain. He opened his mouth to speak but was roughly pushed aside by his sister. A flash of brown was the only warning I received before a stinging slap was delivered across my face. I heard startled and shocked cries from all around me.

I stared blankly at Alisha, still stunned by her blow. She glowered at me, lips curled upward. "You _bitch_," she snarled. I faintly heard Shanti and Marut's gasps behind me. "You planned all of this," she screamed accusingly at me. "You dislike me so much that you purposely put _my _family in danger because you were jealous of _my_ boyfriend and you just wanted to come in as the hero, _didn't you?!_" Her words sparked anger within me and my rage grew as she continued to scream at me.

"Alisha!" Ambar pulled roughly at her arm, his dark brown eyes filled with anger and irritation. "You will not speak to the person who protected our siblings like that!" She glowered him.

"_She's only here for Ben!_" She screeched and Ambar glanced over at me worriedly. There was a sinking feeling and I felt as if a cold stone had settled at the pit of my stomach. Even he doubted me. Either way, I had to control my rage and be in control of my words.

"I assure you that I am not—" I started, but she cut me off with a furious scream. My patience dropped faster than Latias' famous aerial skydiving tricks. "I may care for Ben, but my feelings are strictly professional. _I have every right to worry about the person who was once my partner!_" I yelled back at her. She had stopped screaming profanities at me and now was glaring at me, unable to refute my words. My heart shattered into tiny little pieces within me. _Oh god, what have I done? The relationship I shared with Ben is anything but professional. But for the sake of this Operation…for the sake of these Pokémon, I will do anything. Ben is not my first priority right now_, I tried to reassure myself as I desperately tried to hold myself together. This was the last thing that I wanted happen. I was breaking down right in front of the girl who had become my biggest rival. Voice Nav. started talking again, giving me warnings about how the Pokémon of the area had become extremely aggravated after Alisha's screaming fit.

With as much dignity as I could muster, I turned away from them to hide the expression on my face. "If you don't mind me," I croaked, grimacing inwardly at the raspy sound of my voice. "I have a patrol to finish. If you aren't aware, several of the Pokémon on Sophian Island have become extremely agitated. It is my job to calm all of these Pokémon down so they do not harm anyone who is conducting architectural research on this island. I advise all of you to leave the forest now and return to Aqua Resort in order to ensure your safety." Ambar blinked at me with concern before leading his fuming sister and his other siblings away. Just as I thought the area was cleared, the soft sound of shoes scraping against the ground told me that someone was still here.

"Summer?" Ben's voice gently inquired. Without meaning to, I lifted my head and looked at him, exposing the pain and vulnerability on my face. His eyes widened and I quickly hid my face from him, trying my best not to start breaking down in front of him. Never had I ever lost my control in front of Ben over something like this. I heard the sound of his footsteps and automatically assumed that he was walking away from me. However, when his hand rested gently on my shoulder, I flinched. His breath was warm as he leaned in to my ear. _Please don't call my name,_ I begged inwardly, shaking violently. I was on the verge of breaking into pieces now. _Please don't call me Crimson._ "Thank you," he whispered. With that, his warmth disappeared soon afterward and I turned around to see him walking away.

_Don't go!_ I screamed in my head as I stared after him. My eyesight began to blur and I couldn't see him clearly anymore as tears filled my ears. _Ben, don't leave me! I need you_. At the same time, another voice was shouting after him as well. _Don't turn back!_ It yelled. _Don't see me like this. This is the side I never wanted you to see!_ When his footsteps faded away in the distance, I fell to the ground and choked on my tears. Heartbroken and bruised, I lifted my hands to my face and cried for everything that I had endured ever since the night I saw Ben again.

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

I heard Shanti cry out with awe and looked up just in time to see Summer jump off of a red and white Pokémon gracefully. _Latias,_ I thought suddenly. For some reason, I was capable of naming every single Pokémon that I came across. She landed quietly on her feet and patted the Pokémon's neck before it took off into the clouds. She stared up at the sky for a couple of moments before she glanced in our direction. Immediately, I felt my face start to heat up a little bit. I didn't understand why she made me feel this way. Every glance would fill me with a mixture of anxiety and warmth. Every accidental brush of our hands made me want to kiss her senseless. If anything, this terrified me half to death. Did I have feelings for her before I had lost my memory? Not to mention, Alisha seemed to get much more clingy and defensive whenever Summer was close by. I almost understood why she was jealous.

Summer was a rather beautiful girl with hair that glowed with a wide range of brown and gold. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight and her skin was delicately sun-kissed. Her body was very attractive as well—with a feminine curve to her waist, somewhat wide hips, long and slender legs—which were very muscular, I noted—, and she was at least a couple of inches shorter than me. Often times, I had to tear my eyes away from her exposed skin whenever I was trying hard to avoid her eyes. Out of the few times that we had come in contact with each other, I felt my heart squeeze around her.

_You know her_! My body screamed at me. Unsure of exactly how we close we had been, I did all that I could to ignore my urges to hold and possess her. Either way, I knew that Alisha was intent on courting me and I had to admit that I was fond of her. She was an extremely passionate and insecure girl. Just days after meeting her, she hurriedly confessed her feelings and within a couple of hours, stole a kiss from me. From then on, she started to shower me with kisses, often times leaving the safer boundaries and going to kiss my neck. At those points I'd always stop her and push her away, feeling like I was betraying myself in a way. _Had I been in love with someone else before I lost my memory?_ That was a question that often popped up in my head, but until now, I had never been able to figure out who a possible candidate could've been. _Summer._

She smiled at us and greeted us kindly. She stiffened a bit when Kamran went over to pat her on the back and the smile on her face quickly looked plastic. There was a flash of fear in her eyes before they returned back to their guarded state. If anything, she was probably still recovering from nearly being raped. As if he hadn't noticed her reaction to him, Kamran began to compliment her about her landing technique and the bond between her and the flying Pokémon. Then he mentioned something about making her the next heroine of his book.

Summer looked flustered and uncomfortable as he tried to tell her about the plot. "I don't think I deserve that privilege," she told him nervously. She glanced over in my direction and my heart leaped. When I felt her gaze pass over me, I realized that she wasn't staring at me, but Alisha, who had been standing defensively at my side. The look in Summer's eyes hardened. "I'm not one for fame." Rashmi quickly took her husband's place and started talking about self-defense and training. Summer replied calmly before shooting a look in my direction when she mentioned her brother teaching her a bit of self-defense. Immediately, confusion filled my mind. Was that something that we had discussed before I lost my memory? I was faintly aware of Alisha's fingers curling into my shirt, tightening as she leaned possessively on me.

I glanced down at her and saw how she was glowering at Summer and how she snorted at the girl when she mentioned her learning capabilities. Kamran, ever the diligent parent, shot a warning glare at her. She narrowed her eyes but continued glaring at the ranger girl when her father turned his back again. Truthfully, beside the fact that I obviously shared some sort of history with Summer, I didn't really see why Alisha felt so threatened by Summer.

She was a beautiful girl with light brown skin and dark brown eyes. Her hair was silky, a bit wavy, and voluminous. She was much more slender than Summer, with a narrower figure and thinner legs. Although Summer's legs were long and slender, they looked thick in comparison's to Alisha's. However, I couldn't help but think about how Summer's figure looked healthy and fit whereas Alisha's was achieved through small meals, fussing over diets, and skipping food. She was very thin—not enough to be considered anorexic or bony—but she did lack the muscles that made Summer's figure much more appealing. _What are you thinking about, Ben?_ I demanded, flushing as I realized my comparison between Alisha and Summer. _Remember that you're somewhat in a relationship with Alisha here._

Before I knew it, Summer had knelt down so she was eye-level with Shanti, Alisha's younger sister. Alisha's fingers tightened around my shirt to the point in which she was pulling the fabric so hard that faint clicks could be heard. "Can I go with you on your patrol today?" Surprise was evident on everyone's faces when they heard Shanti's question. Summer looked conflicted for a second, as if she was torn between wanting to allow the little girl to go with her and making sure that she didn't get hurt. After a couple of seconds, she shook her head no and Shanti deflated automatically. Summer gently began to remind her of the dangers in her patrol before something else seemed to catch her attention.

She looked up and seemed to lock her eyes on something. I followed her gaze until I found myself staring at Ambar, who was studying her with a mixture of interest and wonder. He had told me about how he was very much interested in Summer's behavior and how she was unlike any other girl that he had met before. A couple of long moments passed between the two of them and Summer quickly ripped her gaze away to turn to Shanti, who had now brought in the quiet Marut to help beg the ranger to bring them on her patrol. Summer looked up helplessly at Kamran and Rashmi, who exchanged sympathetic looks before shooing their children away. There was a flash of blue and suddenly Ambar was standing beside his father.

"Father, I am interested in joining Summer on her patrols as well. Is it possible that you will allow Shanti and Marut to accompany us?" Kamran stroked his chin thoughtfully, but he looked unconvinced. Ambar quickly turned his attention to Alisha, who looked smug at Summer's conflict. "Alisha, I am sure that you're interested in this patrol as well." The look in his eyes was warning. It was obvious that he was aware of the dirty looks that his sister had been sending the ranger. He shot a warning look in my direction too, as if I had to be scolded for allowing Alisha to continue with her glares. A feeling of guilt settled in the pit of my stomach but I tried my best to ignore it. Ambar and I were good friends—a friendship based on morality and justice. It was completely understandable why he was giving me that look.

Alisha stiffened beside me and spat angrily at her brother. "Not interested!" A flash of irritation crossed Ambar's face, but he narrowed his eyes haughtily at her before turning them on me.

"How about you, Ben?" I hesitated. I was interested in going on a ranger patrol. "Perhaps you'll be able to remember something from this patrol." As usual, he seemed to know my thoughts. I swallowed awkwardly, unsure of how well I would be able to control myself if I were too close to Summer. But my curiosity finally won out and I nodded. When I glanced in the ranger's direction, she had an impressed look on her face. Kamran sighed.

"If you and Ben are there to watch the children, then it is fine," he consented. He turned to Summer and arched an eyebrow at her. "I can trust you to keep them safe?" Summer nodded.

"Of course. I'll do everything in my power, Mr. Sarin." Summer turned away to lead us toward Sophian road, but Rashmi's voice stopped us. The five of us turned to see Alisha scowling with two red spots coloring her face. There was a mixture of embarrassment and shame in her eyes. She was probably upset about being caught going on the patrol with us even when she refused her brother's words earlier. If anything, she was probably going because I was. Alisha rudely responded to her mother's questions and raised her chin at Summer, as if challenging her. The ranger regarded her coolly and continued to lead us into the forest.

A roar startled everyone except for Summer as Suicune appeared on the surface of the water. He leaned into Summer's touch and left quickly after bidding a quick farewell to her. Shanti quickly asked about Suicune and Summer answered her patiently. A large, shelled Pokémon lumbered over to her, calling out warmly to her. The ranger stroked its muzzle before carefully setting Marut and Shanti onto its back. The Pokémon—Summer introduced it as a Grotle—lumbered at a steady pace at the front of the line. Alisha grabbed my sleeve and tugged me forward, forcing me to walk beside her.

I looked around and took in all of the sights around me. A nostalgic feeling filled my body as I walked along. The moist air felt familiar and I quietly pointed out different Pokémon to Shanti and Marut, who were watching with wide-eyed fascination. "Ben, how can you see all these Pokémon?" Marut asked after the fifth Pokémon that I had pointed out.

"Yeah, it's taking us forever," Shanti pouted, giving up on trying to see the Roselias and other Pokémon of the forest.

"I don't know," I replied truthfully. "Maybe it's something with how I used to be a ranger. These Pokémon are pretty obvious to me." I glanced behind me and realized that Ambar and Crimson were out of sight. "Huh. That's funny. I'll go look for them," I told Shanti and Marut when I pointed out that their older brother and the ranger were missing. _If he touches her…_I thought darkly. I stopped for a second, horrified by my thoughts. _What did I just think? Oh my god…_

"You stupid thing! Why'd you stop?" I heard Alisha shout from behind me. I turned my head and saw her scowling at the Grotle. It gazed at her with confusion and her scowl quickly deepened. _Uh-oh_, I thought. _This is going to get ugly soon_. As pretty as Alisha was, her temper was ridiculously short when she was even the tiniest bit irritated. I quickened my pace and rounded the corner to see a Roselia delicately take something out of the palm of Summer's outstretched hand. She and Ambar were crouched around the Pokémon, watching in utter fascination as the Pokémon enjoyed the treat and returned back it its hiding place.

Summer looked up suddenly and met my eyes. My breath caught in my throat as she gazed at me, a mixture of confusion, wistfulness, and longing. The two of us stared at each other until I noticed Ambar turning to face me. I cleared my throat awkwardly and quickly told them about what had happened with Alisha and the Grotle. Immediately, Summer's eyes darkened and she darted past me, streaking around the corner. I ran after her, Ambar close behind.

Alisha looked absolutely furious, nearly shaking with rage as she screamed insults at the Grotle. The Pokémon seemed to become more and more irritated with each word, snapping at her and forgetting the children that it carried on its back. Summer glanced back at us and her eyes hardened immediately. "Ambar! Get your sister to calm the heck down." She gave him a hard glare when he merely stared at her. Within a second, Ambar was by his sister's side, trying desperately to pull her far away from the agitated Grotle. Summer turned on me, her blue eyes blazing. "Ben! Get your act together. Your body will most likely remember training." Training? I blinked at her. _She probably means ranger training_, I thought. "I need you to help me get Shanti and Marut off of the Grotle's back." I hesitated and glanced back toward the raging Pokémon. At Shatni's yelp, I flinched. A snarl left Summer and she turned her back on me, carefully circling the Grotle until she was behind it.

As quick as lightning, she had pulled Marut from the Grotle's back and was jumping back. However, just as she did so, Shanti let out a little scream and her hand slipped a little. A look of horror filled Summer's face as I saw her glance back and forth between Marut and Shanti.

Before I knew it, I was by her side and my arms were wrapped around Marut's waist. My chest heaved as I pulled the child out of her embrace. I hadn't even realized that I had sprinted all the way over to her. Summer's eyes flickered to meet mine for a split second before she leapt forward and caught Shanti just as she was thrown from the Grotle's back. The two of them tumbled and rolled before slamming hard against a tree. I saw Summer blink hazily around her, winded and stunned by the blow. Before the glassy look in her eyes was cleared, she was already propelling herself over the head of the Grotle and taking a defensive position in front of Ambar and Alisha.

I raced forward and scooped up Shanti, who looked slightly winded but otherwise, unharmed. Marut buried his face into my shoulder and cried, trembling as he did so. However, Shanti watched Summer capture the Grotle with wide eyes.

Shanti and Marut were complete opposites. She was bubbly, friendly, and headstrong. Marut was timid, reserved, and quiet. He reminded me of the bookish type whereas Shanti seemed like the kind of person who would go out and take risks.

Yet at the same time that Marut was extremely fearful of pain and danger, he had withdrawn his head from the crook of my shoulder and was watching Summer capture the Grotle. A roar shook the clearing and Suicune burst out of the undergrowth, knocking the Grotle off its feet in the process. Summer quickly took advantage of the situation and capture line had once been blue glowed in a myriad of colors as she quickly finished off the capture. Summer wiped her forehead with her arm, glancing at Suicune before the legendary water beast disappeared in a swirl of purple and blue.

Summer turned around and spotted Marut in my arms, relaxing slightly as she spotted Shanti sitting close by. The little girl danced around the ranger happily, cooing over her like a superhero. Summer quickly scanned her over and turned to Marut, who was whimpering in the crook of my neck. He turned his head around and spotted Summer, who suddenly looked very nervous. Marut reached out an arm and sobbed, allowing a wave of new tears to clean some of the grit off his face. Summer raced over, cooing as she wiped his tears away. Her eyes flickered up to meet mine and a warm feeling spread all over me. The two of stared at each other for a while, getting lost in pools of brown and blue.

"Summer!" The ranger flinched and the connection was lost. Flushing, I turned my attention back to Marut while Summer turned to face Ambar. "You're bleeding!" I looked up and realized that he was right—her arms and legs were covered in scrapes.

Ambar fussed over her and Summer did her best to stop him. Either way, my heart clenched as I watched the two of them. _Why do I feel so jealous?_ Marut raised his head and looked at me, opening his mouth to say something when a loud, reverberating slap echoed throughout the clearing. I was horrified to see Alisha's hand posed to strike again and Summer's bright red cheek. "You _bitch_," Alisha snarled, ignoring the gasps from her siblings as she insulted Summer. "You hate me so much that you purposely put _my_ family in danger because you were jealous of _my_ boyfriend and you just wanted to come in as the hero, _didn't you?!_" Her voice became even more shrill and accusatory every time she put an emphasis on "my". For some reason, that word irritated me. Even if I was in a relationship with her, the way that she had described it almost sounded like I was her possession.

"Alisha!" Ambar was at her side in a flash, dark eyes burning as he grabbed a hold of her arm just before she was about to deliver another stinging blow onto Crimson's face. "You will not speak to the person who protected our siblings like that!"

"_She's only here for Ben!_" She screeched. My heart pounded rapidly as I awaited Summer's reply, unsure of whether I was going to be thrilled or horrified by her answer.

"I assure you that I am not—" She was quickly cut off by one of Alisha's furious screams. The tension that was brewing around her snapped and she advanced with such an intimidating posture that Alisha had actually taken a step back. "I may care for Ben, but my feelings are strictly professional." My heart dropped at her words. "_I have every right to worry about the person who was once my partner!_" She yelled at Alisha. Ambar, Marut, and Shanti all looked dumbstruck by her sudden outburst. Summer, who had always been rational and reasonable ever since our first formal introduction had quite a temper too. A small voice began to give a quick summary about our surroundings and I quickly realized that it was coming from the gadget on Summer's wrist.

Summer turned her back on all of us, breathing heavily. "If you don't mind," she croaked. I felt a pang of sympathy and pain at the strain in her voice. "I have a patrol to finish. If you aren't aware, several of the Pokémon on Sophian Island have become extremely agitated. It is my job to calm all of these Pokémon down so they do not harm anyone who is conducting architectural research on this island. I advise all of you to leave the forest now and return to Aqua Resort in order to ensure your safety." Ambar glanced at her worriedly before leaving with all of his siblings. I stared at Summer's back, unsure of what to say to her.

Instead, I called out her name. "Summer?" She lifted her head to look at me and I was shocked to see how fragile she was at that moment. Her eyes were filled with pain and her entire body was shaking. She quickly turned her face away and her arms circled around her waist, as if she were trying to comfort herself.

I was suddenly driven by an urge to go and hug her—to wrap her up in my arms and coo at her as she cried. But the way she shook around me…it was almost like she was ashamed to be weak in front of me. My heart filled with compassion and understanding. She was probably used to being strong around me, so suddenly being at such a vulnerable state would explain why she was so tense. _I suppose the best that we ever were,_ I thought to myself, feeling my heart clench again, _were friends. If we were lovers…_I hesitated before finishing the thought. _…she wouldn't be so unwilling to show me her tears._ Still driven by a strong urge to comfort her, I laid my hand gently on her shoulder. She flinched, but I knew it was because she had expected me to leave.

"Thank you," I whispered. With that, I turned and walked away, hearing her shoes scrape against the ground as she watched me walk away. Just as I rounded the corner, a feeling of dread filled my heart and I stopped in my tracks. I was about to turn around and rush back into the clearing when I heard a strangled sob and a soft thud. At that point, my heart clenched to a point in which it was almost unbearable. I forced myself to stand there and wait for a couple of minutes and listen to Summer cry. It broke my heart into tiny little pieces, but I stood there anyway to make sure that I was at least feeling a fraction of the pain she was enduring right now. Then, when the urge to comfort her was too strong to deny any more, I fled from the forest and rushed into the Aqua Resort.

* * *

I walked in just in time to see Kamran lecturing Alisha in front of the entire family. Everyone looked up at my arrival as I gently closed the door behind me. Alisha's face was a mixture of shame and stubbornness. Kamran's was of irritation and anger. Realizing that I had stumbled onto a private matter, I tried to excuse myself and go to the room that I shared with Ambar. "Ben," Kamran stopped me. "Sit with the others. You have lived with my family for so long that you will be seen as family." I hesitated before complying, unable to miss the horrified look on Alisha's face. Kamran, satisfied that I was now sitting down with the rest of his family, returned to rebuking his daughter.

"You have absolutely _no_ respect for others, do you?" Alisha stared at the ground, tears swarming in her eyes. "Well? _Do you?_" Kamran's voice was harsh and she flinched before turning her face away. His jaw clenched and unclenched several times. "If I even dared to act that way in front of my parents, I would've have been whipped with my father's leather belt." His voice grew angrier. "First you disrespect Summer, who is a very likable and talented ranger _and then you lied to me about what happened on the patrol?_" I glanced at Ambar and he gazed back steadily. He had probably told his father about what had happened in the clearing.

"I'll tell you later," he mouthed before turning his attention back to his father, who had his arms placed firmly on his hips. Alisha was shaking now, completely overwhelmed with shame and resentment.

"Young lady, you will go to your room and you will stay in that room until I say so. If you dare to speak back to me about this punishment, I may very well do what my father did to me when I mouthed off to him." She flinched and quickly bounded up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door behind her. Kamran scowled but decided to say nothing about it. "I'll be in the den," he grumbled, stalking into the hallway. Ambar nodded up toward the stairs and the two of us quietly retreated to our room.

"Father was very alarmed when he saw that Shanti and Marut were all dusty," he told me as the two of us settled down onto our beds. "Alisha was in a horrible mood so she started telling him everything from her side of the story before he even got to ask what had happened." I grimaced, remembering how assertive and thoughtless Alisha could be sometimes. "Of course, Shanti, who absolutely _adores_ Summer, leapt to her defense. Marut, for the first time as well, also spoke up against Alisha." Ambar scratched his head and sighed, resting his back against the wall. "Then father turned to me so I could confirm either side of the story." He paused, and added, "I did what was right and I told him that Shanti and Marut were not lying. When he heard that, he turned on Alisha and called mother into the room. You walked in just as he started to lecture her."

"What did she even say to him?" Ambar snorted and rolled his eyes, his face twisted in disgust.

"She had this whole thing about how Summer put Marut and Shanti on a really malicious and temperamental 'monster'." He rolled his eyes at how his sister had described Pokémon. "And then she talked about how Summer held me back to 'seduce me with her charms'." Ambar snorted at this. "Summer actually just showed me the beauty of the Pokémon who lived in the forest. She fed a Roselia a piece of candy and showed me just how beautiful these creatures could be." He waved his hand. "Anyway, then she went on about how the 'beast' suddenly attacked her and Summer comes in looking like a hero even though she endangers the lives of Marut and Shanti just to glorify herself. Not to mention, she accused Summer of not being able to keep her eyes off you," he added. "I have to disagree though—it was more like you couldn't keep your eyes off of her." He leaned forward, interested. "So, are you interested in her?"

My heart rate sped up, but I shook my head no. Her answer to Alisha's accusation of 'hanging off of Ben' had definitely made me feel as if she only cared for me as a partner. However, hearing her cry in the clearing after she thought I had left led me to think otherwise. Either way, I was completely confused about what kind of relationship that I had with her. Nema's voice rang through my head one more time: _There's more ways to break a heart than one._ Was that supposed to mean that what Summer and I had shared was completely… unprofessional? Did she actually lie to Alisha when she was challenged about her feelings toward me? "I'm just wondering if I could ever be the partner that she thinks I am," I replied, giving him only part of the truth.

There was a thoughtful look on Ambar's face and he nodded. After a couple of minutes, he spoke up again. "You know, I've never really met anyone like her." I looked up in surprise. "I think she's an astounding girl. She's strong, she's very independent, and she's definitely a mystery." Ambar tilted his head to the side, studying the ceiling. "I'm good at finding out people's intentions and making out their characters but…she's proving to be a much more interesting and talented person," he mused. He closed his eyes slowly. "And that tenderness…her kindness toward Pokémon is reflected in how she treats children. She's kind, patient, and very understanding. She's really an amazing girl."

"Yeah, I agree." As I said these words, my heart clenched and a dark voice deep within my heart said, _and I wish she were mine._

* * *

A/N: I'm not sure about you guys...but I'm pretty pissed off at Alisha. Just saying.

WHERE ARE INSTINCT AND REASON?

You'll find out soon enough. That's for me to find out first...and you to figure out second.

Anyway, if anyone forgot who was who, here's a quick summary. It's easy to get confused since Ben calls them by their names and Crimson (Summer) calls the parents Mr. and Mrs.

KAMRAN is the father, RASHMI is the mother, AMBAR is the first son, ALISHA is the first daughter, SHANTI is the second daughter, and MARUT is the second son.

As for ages, if anyone was wondering (I was...)

Booker: 64

Professor Hastings: 61

Kamran & Rashmi: 48

Rand: 40

Leanne: 38

Sven & Wendy: 25

Murph & Nick: 22

Red Eyes, Kellyn, Kate: 20

Ambar: 19

Ben, Crimson (Summer), Jamie, Julian: 18

Blue Eyes, Alisha, Lawrence, Emily: 17

Nema, Ralph, Nixie: 15

Shanti: 10

Marut: 8

If you don't remember characters, Kellyn and Kate are from Shadows of Almia, Sven & Wendy are also from Almia, Nick is Booker's assistant, Jamie & Julian are Summer's friends, Lawrence & Emily were the two novice rangers that appeared last chapter, Ralph is Booker's grandson, and Nixie is the girl on the beach with the Lapras.

Look forward to the next chapter: Things will start heading up after a chapter or two.

R&R!


	13. Chapter 12

IT IS GOING TO BE MORE INTERESTING HERE ON OUT...

Oh yeah, here's a key if you guys don't remember. Look I hope this key makes you excited to read this chapter~

_Italics _means Ben/Crimson is thinking. There is a quick heading that tells you if it's Ben speaking or not. For every single chapter (unless noted at the VERY BEGINNING), Crimson will start off from her PoV. Afterwards, it's Ben's (it'll be in the left hand corner just under a page break) turn.

**_Bold Italics_** means that Reason (Ben's voice of reason) is talking.

**Bold** tells you that Instinct (Ben's instinct) is speaking.

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON

* * *

An insistent beeping filled my ear. I hiccupped before fumbling for my dog-tags and initiating the call. I wiped at the tear tracks on my cheeks and sniffled. It felt like I had been crying for hours, but I wasn't aware of how much time had actually passed. Nema's voice came through the speakers. "Crimson?" She sounded exhausted.

"Nema? Are you okay?" I wiped hurriedly at my cheeks and stood up, suddenly aware of the turmoil around me. _Crap_, I thought. _I spent too much time crying_. From what I could tell, the wild Pokémon of Sophian Island were still agitated from my earlier tussle with Grotle and Alisha's screaming.

"Finished Camera…wanted to let you know…" Nema's voice broke off into a loud yawn. "Was wonderin' if ya…could come over an'…help recreating 'em…Booker's got some sleep so he can help…" I heard some shuffling and Leanne's voice came from the other side of the line.

"Hey Crimson, Nema's about to pass out right now, so I'll fill you in on what's going on," she told me. "Nema and Booker finished making the cameras last night and were testing them all throughout the night. Booker took a nap a couple of hours ago and we'll wake him up soon enough…_Nema!_" There was some wild shuffling and Leanne called faintly from the background. "Nema just passed out. I'm going to take her to her bed, so just wait a second, alright?"

"Alright," I answered, brushing the dust off my knees. I checked my Styler and it notified me that several Pokémon were still agitated. I would have to finish capturing all of them before heading over to Nema's house. According to my Styler, it was about one in the afternoon. With luck, I'd be at her house in about an hour—but that could easily change if there were several Pokémon who were agitated. Hopefully none of the Pokémon on the snowy mountain were affected. Voice Nav. spoke up and confirmed my thoughts and I sighed in relief. There was a bit of shuffling before I heard Leanne's voice again.

"Crimson, you there?" She asked. I answered her and she let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, that's good. Nema passed out before she could actually start working on making more of them. Like I said, Booker is catching some sleep right now. Rand ran out to get Nick so that all of us can work on making copies of the cameras that Nema and Booker made. Thankfully, they have all of the batteries configured so all we'll have to do is follow their blueprints and assemble the gadgets. Anyway, we were wondering if you could come over and help."

"Yeah, no problem," I told her, "but there was a bit of difficulty here in Sophian Island, so I'll be a bit late." I could almost hear her frown over the line. "I'll tell you about it when I get over there."

"Oh, if you're doing that, then do you mind patrolling the rest of Oblivia for us really quick? Rand was going to run out and do a patrol of the Mitonga and Reinbow but it'd be great if you could do it really fast for him."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be over in an hour or two."

"Alright. See you then."

* * *

I knocked on the door twice and stepped in. Leanne's head poked out of Nema's room and she smiled in relief. She waved me over and I headed into her daughter's laboratory/bedroom. Nema, like Leanne had said, was out cold on the bed. Rand and Nick were fumbling with tiny mechanical parts with tweezers and were looking through magnifying glasses to make sure that their work was accurate. Booker worked across the table from them, nimbly assembling the parts with a practiced hand. Rand glanced over his shoulder and smiled when he saw me. I noted that the area ranger, Leanne, and Booker all had extremely dark circles under their eyes. "Crimson," he greeted.

Booker glanced at me and immediately left his work station before ushering me over to another open spot on the counter. He set up a magnifying glass on a stand so I could work with both hands. He slowly walked me through the different instructions while Leanne quickly copied his words onto a piece of paper. After being walked through the mechanics and watching Booker do a demonstration, I started working on one of the cameras. Leanne hovered close by, neglecting her unfinished camera to make sure that I was helped whenever I needed it.

"I have a report, but I'll tell you guys afterward," I told Rand and the others. Everyone gave let out a half-interested grunt and continued on with their work. After I completed my first camera—which was about twenty minutes later—Leanne returned to her post and continued assembling her own.

* * *

By the time that we were done with all twenty cameras, one day had already passed. At one point, Booker tested the few that we had finished and realized that Rand had misplaced some of the circuits within the camera. He quickly made the area ranger take apart the camera and reassemble them. A couple hours later, I realized that I had done the same and scrambled to take apart the five that I had finished after Booker's first test.

At around seven, I left to do a quick patrol around all of Oblivia and checked in with Weber to make sure that the Sarin family had avoided going out into the woods again. If anything, the Pokémon of the Sophian forest had remembered Alisha's cries and her scent and would probably go berserk if she were to even get too close. I returned soon afterward and worked hard along with everyone else. At around noon, I set out for another patrol and as the sun was setting, I went on another. I had planned my last at around midnight and by the time that all the cameras were tested and approved by Booker, it was almost ten at night.

Nema had been sleeping on and off during the time that the rest of us worked. She would wake up for five minutes to go to the bathroom or nibble on something before passing on her bed again. According to Rand when we stopped to have a quick snack, Nema hadn't slept for four days straight. Before long, we had forced Booker to retire into the living room because he had gone through a similar kind of torture for the past few nights. Pichu strummed his Ukulele happily, giving us some form of music to enjoy as we slaved away. Nema had also prepared some sort of charger to store and charge the finished cameras that Booker had approved.

"I'll wake Booker up so he can look at these real quick," Nick said, stretching his stiff muscles. Rand yawned loudly, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. "Why don't you two get some sleep first? You've been working really hard."

"I'll head out for my patrol early then," I told them. "I'll be more thorough this time since I've been just skimming through the islands for the past couple of patrols."

"Are you sure?" Nick looked at me worriedly. I waved him off.

"Please, out of all of you guys, I'm the most rested. I can at least do this much," I told him while trying hard to stifle a yawn. Nick looked too tired to argue and nodded at me as Leanne and Rand headed up to bed. "I'll be back around midnight!" I called up at them before rushing out of the house. Quickly signaling Latias, I yawned and slapped my face to keep myself awake.

* * *

I stumbled a little as I leapt off of Latias for the fifth time. I hadn't checked in with Mt. Layuda or Mt. Faldera lately, so I visited those islands as well. Latias hovered overhead before taking off. I rubbed at my eyes and headed for the forest, making sure that everything was peaceful and calm.

After searching all of Sophian Island as quietly and thoroughly as I could, I headed back to Weber's house and left a quick note on his door.

_Dear Weber,_

_I'm going to be spending the next day or two at Rand's house. I'll drop by to do a quick patrol from time to time, so you'll see me around. If the Sarin family asks where I am, just tell them that I'm collaborating with Rand putting a little more time and effort on Mitonga and Reinbow Island._

_Thanks!_

_Crimson_

* * *

"…and that's what happened on the patrol," I finished. Nema, now looking well rested, gaped at me from the other side of the table. Leanne and Rand shared a look before worriedly glancing back at me.

Booker and Nick had headed home after catching a couple hours of sleep and were probably resting up a little more at Booker's house. I had gotten about six hours of rest after my midnight patrol and had headed out at seven in order to do another quick patrol. By the time that I had returned, Nema had broken off her zombie-like sleeping habits and was eating breakfast at the dining table.

"It looks like you'll be having a couple of problems with Alisha," Rand commented. "If anything, her earlier behavior just screams how likely she's going to accuse you of the smallest things. You'll have to try avoiding her as much as possible when you go over to their manor."

"Why that little…" Nema trailed off, glaring angrily at the wood grain. "I would've strangled her if she slapped me." Leanne cast her daughter an exasperated look and I laughed breathlessly.

"Truthfully, I was probably going to do that if Voice Nav. didn't interrupt me first," I told her. Nema looked oddly satisfied with my confession and then a puzzled look passed over her face.

"Wait…if she has such a horrible reaction toward Pokémon, don't you think that she's part of the organization?" Everyone looked surprised at Nema's revelation.

"She could be…" Rand's eyes flickered to me. "But for now we can't be sure."

"Well it makes a lot of sense," Nema reasoned. "Why else would the organization take place at their new manor? I mean, she could very well have convinced her father to fund them for her. They might've actually promised her some sort of position of power." Rand frowned, but I could tell that he was a little more convinced now.

"Well, either way, we should be on our feet the whole time. We can't let speculations get to us no matter how realistic they seem."

"Code of the rangers," I agreed. "But it'll definitely be something I can ask Red Eyes to look into when I see him again."

"When are they moving again?" Leanne asked, sipping her coffee slowly.

"In a week or two. I'll have to go over to check, though. I'm afraid they might not want me to go with them because of what happened on the patrol."

"Crimson!" Nema gave me an exasperated look. "If they blame you for that, then they're the most unreasonable people in the world. For God's sake—you were just doing your work!"

"Right, but either way, that patrol put their lives in danger."

"Nema, don't get too frustrated with Crimson. She's thinking what every ranger does when someone gets injured on the patrol," Rand warned her. "We're taught since the first day of school that accidents on patrols are always partly our fault if they happen. We're taught to recognize danger the second that it hits and we're responsible for making sure to get rid of it as soon as possible."

"Thanks Rand." I nodded at him. "Anyway, I should be going now. It looks like everything's okay over here, but I'm more than happy to take over your patrols of Mitonga and Reinbow if you need any more rest," I offered. Rand shook his head, and Nema quickly spoke up.

"Are you sure that you don't need any more of Knock-out? How many do you have with you?" she asked anxiously. I glanced down at my belt compartments and recited the numbers by heart.

"I have two grappler guns in case I don't have time to recharge or there's someone else that has to leave with me. I have about two extra 'escape bullets' with me right now and a total of six back at Weber's place. There are seven Knock-outs with me right now and about thirty back at Weber's. Of course, I have my belt, the twenty cameras, and my Stealth Communicator." Nema's eyes steeled.

"I'll make you a couple extra grapplers, then," she told me. "Stay right here. I think I have a couple left over from the last batch." She disappeared into her room, and Leanne headed into the kitchen. After a couple of minutes, Nema reappeared with a bundle of them and handed them to me. "There are about twelve in that bunch, I think," she informed me. "That should be enough. And of course, I want you to take this." She pulled something out of her pocket and laid it gently onto the table, the metal clicking against the wood. My eyes widened as I recognized it.

"Your pistol? B-but," I stammered at her.

"I can easily make another, Crimson. You need this more than I do. If worse comes to worse…" She pulled out the magazine to show me how to load in Knock-out darts. "Remember to have the safety on unless you're going to use it," she warned me, flicking the small piece of metal at the end of the gun. "It's called a hammer. Most semi-automatic pistols don't have them, but I figured that it would be much safer if you had one of those. Not to mention, it intimidates people more when you flick the hammer down. Here's a couple of magazines so all you'll have to do is load them up and then stick them into the gun."

"Crimson, remember to keep us well informed on everything that's going on. Since you're going to have practices with Mrs. Sarin, you won't be able to wear your dog tags. What I want you to do is create a little pouch at the collar line." Leanne pulled out a t-shirt and demonstrated for me, turnining the shirt inside out so that the hem was exposed. She snipped it open and slipped a mike as far she could into the hole. At least half of it stuck out, but then she grabbed a piece of fabric and snipped out a small square to cover up the exposed mike. She sewed around it but left a single side open. Leanne made a small incision at the base of the fabric and stitched a makeshift buttonhole.

"If you want to, I can make cover flap for you ahead of time," she told me as she sewed on a button and fitted it carefully through the buttonhole. "I'll make a couple and then send them over—how does that sound? All you'll have to do then on is to make a small hole, put the mike in and then sew the patch on."

"Sounds great." I told her. Nema handed me the pistol and told me to ditch my uniform or else I wouldn't be able to carry my gun around. She rushed back into her bedroom and came out with a small wooden box.

"I have a trick box that Booker made me when I was a kid," Nema explained as she busied herself with unlocking it. She pushed and shifted the different wood pieces and then opened the lid to the box. It was a very shallow box and I blinked in confusion. "You can just open the lid as you like once you have most of the puzzle figured out," she told me. "There's a keyhole on the front to make you think that you'll need a key to get in. However, the real chamber is revealed if you undo most of the puzzle and…" She flipped the box over and pushed hard on one of the sides. The side popped out, revealing a small hole. "You slip your finger into this and pull upwards…" The bottom plant lifted and revealed a rather spacious compartment. "What I would do is put the pistol in here for safekeeping along with the extra magazines. On the top, I'd put some jewelry or whatnot so if people try to break in.

"By the way, here's the key to the top." She handed me a small, silver key. "I suggest going back to Weber's house and getting used to the box. I'll come with you so I can teach you how to do it." She glanced at her father for approval and Rand nodded.

"I'll send over the patches with Murph tomorrow morning," Leanne told me. "I'll see you around, Crimson." Suddenly, something tapped against the window of their house.

"Brrr!" Startled, I raced over the window and threw the curtains aside. I knew that cry…

"Paladin!" Zenith's Dragonite blinked kindly at me, before tapping on the window again with his claws. I pulled the windows up and he handed me a Pokéball and a folded note. Confused, I unfolded the note and skimmed over it quickly.

_Hey Crimson,_

_This little guy couldn't stop bothering me after I came home and it smelled your scent on me and my Pokémon. Eventually, your mom asked if I could just send it over to you. I think you'll be happy to see it again._

_Always yours,_

—_Zenith_

"A Pokémon, huh?"Nema studied the Pokéball with interest. "Thanks, Paladin." Knowing he was dismissed, the Dragonite dipped his head to me before taking off into the sky. "Wonder what it is."

"Well then, open it up. I wanna see the circuits inside of those things. I've never really gotten so close to one," Nema pestered me. I gave her a wary look.

"If you break this thing…you're calling Zenith and giving me another one," I warned her before clicking the button in the center and enlarging the Pokéball. Nema watched with hungry eyes as I tossed the Pokéball in the air and it flew open. A glowing red figure landed on the floor as I quickly caught the minimized Pokéball again. Nema rushed forward to rip the container from my hands, but I barely paid any attention to her as I recognized the Pokémon that swayed from side to side, cooing happily. "Alabaster! You were the Pokémon that Zenith was talking about?" I scooped up the creature in my arms, overwhelmed with nostalgia and affection. Nema glanced up from the Pokéball in her hand and lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

"A Ditto?" She sounded disappointed. I laughed as I stroked Alabaster, who was emitting a noise similar to a Glameow's purr.

"That's exactly how Ben reacted to Kasa's Ditto before it nearly broke my Styler," I told her. Nema's eyes flashed with horror for a second, but I quickly added, "it's alright; I'm not lovesick over Ben." I hesitated before saying, "But I'm not over him either. I'm completely sure that Ben's starting to remember the connection that he had with Pokémon. I'm more than capable of talking to him normally." Alabaster shifted in my arms, humming as it swayed from side to side. "I can't believe Zenith was talking about you," I cooed, stroking it. Looking to Nema, I explained. "When I was about seven years old, one of our Dittos had bred with a passing trainer's. He took half of the brood, which was two. Zenith's sister and I were told to choose one to consider ours since we didn't have one yet. Zenith was upset that he didn't get one of the Dittos, but he received one from us later on in his 'career'.

"As I was saying, there were two left behind. One of them looked like a normal Ditto, although it was much more docile and unwilling to fight. That had probably been why the trainer had decided to leave it behind. The other was a pinkish-white color. It would've been great for a team except for the fact that it was the runt of the litter. Zenith's sister chose the regular looking one because it was gentle and she loved pink. She named it Lily. I was stuck with this one, of course, but I fell in love the second that I saw it." I chuckled as Alabaster's arms stretched up to pat my cheeks. "I named him Alabaster and he's been mine since."

"That's pretty cool." Nema reached out to stroke Alabaster's side. The Ditto leaned into her touch, purring. "Where'd it learn to do that?"

"Actually, Alabaster was fairly attached to a passing trainer's Glameow. It ended up learning how to purr like one before the trainer took its Glameow away."

"Pichu!" I looked down to see Pichu hopping up and down, trying to get a good glimpse of the Pokémon that was settled in my arms. I knelt down and released Alabaster. The two Pokémon stiffed at each other and Pichu began strumming his ukulele as a sign of friendship. Alabaster stared at Pichu for a second before quickly transforming into him. Ukulele Pichu was startled as another Ukulele Pichu appeared in front of him, strumming on a similar ukulele.

"Nema, Crimson, I've prepared food for you…" Leanne trailed off when she saw the two Pichus on the ground before me. "And why are there two Pichus?" I giggled and reached down to scoop Alabaster into my arms. Even as a Pichu, its whitish color had showed up just a little bit. Instead of being a rich golden-yellow, its fur color had just been a little bit off. Once I had settled him in my arms. Alabaster returned to his form as a Ditto and greeted Leanne happily. "That's amazing," she breathed. "Dittos aren't native to this region."

"That's not all that Alabaster can do. Go on, Alabaster. Show 'em your stuff." I smiled down at the Ditto in my arms.

"Pichu!" Ukulele Pichu looked startled at the call. He stared at Alabaster and replied.

"Pichu!"

"Pichu!"

"Pichu!"

"Pichu!"

"Pichu!"

"Are there two Pichus in this room?" There was a scooting noise and footsteps before Rand rested his head on Leanne's shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at Alabaster and Pichu who seemed to be having a conversation back in forth in Pichu-talk.

"Alabaster has the ability to mimic the cries of Pokémon," I told them. I nudged him gently. "Why don't you give them Tramp's bark?" Alabaster responded automatically, barking in the rough, husky voice of Zenith's Mightyena. Leanne, Nema, and Rand looked pleasantly surprised. "It's pretty amazing, if you think about it."

"I agree." Leanne nodded before handing me a large lunchbox. "Anyway, here you are. I'm afraid that we're spending too much time chatting at this time. After all, you have a lot to do."

"Actually Crimson, I'll be taking over your ranger duties for the rest of the week," Rand told me. I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "You're going to be gone soon, so I have to get used to patrolling Sophian Island now. Just leave your ranger duties to me. If you want, I'll call you from time to time so you can come with me."

"Actually, Crimson needs to be practicing with the gun," Nema told her father. "I have a couple of empty darts that haven't been filled with Knock-out yet." She turned to me. "Sorry Crimson, but you're not going on any patrols for the rest of this week. You need to practice with the gun, work on getting closer to the Sarin family, and memorizing the code to open the box." She waved her wooden trick box at me.

"Alright then," I sighed before shooting an apologetic smile at Rand. "I'm sorry to push all of these responsibilities on you," I told him.

"No problem." Nema and I said our goodbyes as we awaited Latias' arrival.

* * *

"Summer!" Someone called me as I was helping Nema off of Latias. Last time she had jumped off of Latias' back, she had twisted her angle because she didn't land right. Once Nema was situated on her feet, I patted Latias' neck in thanks and turned to face whoever was calling me. Mr. Sarin walked over, a hesitant smile on her face. I stiffened at first, but Nema's hand on my shoulder made me relax quickly. When he reached us, I readied myself for an apology, but he quickly beat me to it. "I humbly apologize for my daughter's actions." He bowed low, torso stiff and his hands outstretched before him. I gave Nema a horrified look and she stared at the man in confusion.

"Mr. Sarin, please," I begged, feeling the gazes of everyone in the resort turn to us. "I wasn't careful enough when I put the children on the Grotle's back. If anything, I should be taking the blame." Nema narrowed her eyes at me in disagreement but said nothing. She was probably still convinced that I wasn't in the wrong for anything, but being a ranger called for extreme humbleness, responsibility-taking, and being willing to take the blame.

"I hardly think saving my children is something is to be taken as a blame," Mr. Sarin snorted. However, he did stop bowing to me. He gave me a thankful smile. "Hopefully you'll still be willing to come with us to our manor—that is, if my daughter didn't scare you off."

"No, no, no! I was actually scared that what happened in the patrol yesterday would result in your family being unwilling to take me with you to the manor," I told him. "By the way, when will we be leaving?"

"In about five days," he told me. "We're having a boat come over and take us there. What's it called—The Union?"

"Oh! Alright then." I immediately recognized the ship as the one that Murph was placed in command of. "Well, if you don't mind me, I'll start getting ready for the trip over."

* * *

"You're pretty good with that gun," Nema told me as the two of us headed back to Weber's house. We had spent all afternoon reloading the dart-gun and firing it nonstop. Suicune had taken us up to an isolated patch of land by Silver Falls so that nobody would really hear the shots. The gun made a similar sound of a gunshot upon firing, but it was much quieter and, according to Nema, was much easier to handle than regular semi-automatic pistols. From what she told me, the force necessary to shoot a bullet was much greater than the force needed to fire a dart. She explained that to me when I had fired the gun for the first time and was surprised that I didn't go tumbling onto my back from firing. "Just a couple more days of practice and you'll be as good as your brother!*"

"That's great. After all, I only _have_ a couple of days before I'm heading over to the manor." Nema blinked at me and looked thoughtful as we walked into Weber's house and headed up the stairs.

"Hey Crimson," she started when the two of us passed by Weber, who was hunched over a new rug that he was weaving, "do you want me to start making schedules for you? Then you'll be able to get everything done in time." I blinked at her in surprise.

"You're really up to doing that?" I pulled my clothes out of the bureau where I had stored them. Nema reached over and pulled out my ranger uniforms, which made up about half of my wardrobe.

"Of course!" She frowned when she looked at the two divided piles of clothing. "You'll have to wash your clothes often," she commented as the two of us glanced at my pitifully small pile of regular clothing. As a ranger, I was always in my standardized uniform. The clothes that I had brought with me were…pretty much useless until now.

"Well, at least I don't have too much to pack," I joked, pulling out a duffle bag and neatly placing my clothes in. "So we can take packing off the list of things to do." I glanced out the window, and took in the red sunset that painted the sky. Nema followed my gaze and smiled.

"_Red sky at night, Sailor's delight_," she whispered. "Anyway, why don't we go down and ask Weber if he wants to have dinner now?" I nodded and the two of us headed downstairs. "Hey Weber?" The weaver looked up from his work in surprise. "Would you like to have dinner now?" He blinked at us and then glanced at his clock.

"Oh my! I didn't realize the time! It sure flew by quickly." He dropped his materials and rushed over. Nema quickly blocked his way.

"Actually, Crimson and I are more than capable of cooking for you," she told him. "You can go finish up your design while we get ready for dinner." He looked conflicted for a second, but Nema reassured him. "It'll be alright, Weber. My mom's taught me how to cook well. Crimson's had a lot of my cooking and she's perfectly fine." Weber blinked at me and smiled thankfully at us.

"Thank you," he said before quickly rushing back into his workroom and hunching over his design again. Nema giggled at me and the two of us headed off to the kitchen. As I busied myself with taking out the pots and pans, Nema dug through the fridge, pulling out whatever seemed good to her. Taking out a cutting board, Nema began to slice vegetables, meat, and dice garlic while I poured oil into the pans and set them on the stove. After a bit, we quickly switched stations and Nema began to cook the vegetables, tossing a couple into a small pot to steam and throwing the rest into the pan that I had prepared. While she waited for the vegetables to start cooking, she pulled out another pot and oiled it just as I had.

While she was tossing the veggies, I seasoned the meat by sprinkling paprika, salt, and thyme onto it. Once the other pan was heated up, I tossed the meat in and added salt from time to time until I decided that the meat was well-seasoned and about medium-rare. Nema had already moved on from her vegetables and was throwing in garlic and hand-breaded onion rings into oil. About ten or fifteen minutes later, I dumped my finished dish onto a plate and hurried to set it on the large table that stood in the middle of the room. As I wiped my hands on my apron, I heard a knock on the door. I raised an eyebrow at the door. _Who could be coming at this time? Does somebody need a ranger right now?_ I walked over and pulled open to the door to see Ambar, Ben, and Mr. Sarin holding covered dishes in their hands. I glanced at the bowls and then tossed a look over at Nema, who had turned away from her onion rings and was heading over. Ambar eyed my apron before lifting his eyes to my face.

"Mother wanted us to bring these dishes over to you so you could become more accustomed the food at the manor, but it seems that you already have your own," he said. Nema blinked and then let out a little shriek of fear when she remembered her union rings. I glanced back at her and looked back at the faces of the Sarin family. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Actually, why don't you guys come over? We can have a potluck," I said, nodding to the food in their hands.

"That sounds delightful." Mr. Sarin handed me his covered dish. "I'll go tell Rashmi and the others. Boys, help Summer in any way possible." I smiled at Ambar and Ben before leading the two of them into Weber's house.

"Weber, we're having a potluck with the Sarin family!" I called.

"Okay! I'll be done in a few minutes!" He yelled back. I set down the dishes and hurried into the kitchen to help Nema arrange the food.

"Plates are in the top cabinet," I told Ambar when he arrived by my side. Nema dumped the finished union rings on the platter in front of me. "Silverware is in the left drawer." She passed me a bag of baguette slices and I layered union rings on top the small pieces of cheese that I had placed on the bread pieces. Taking the leftover broth from the meat that I cooked earlier, I spooned some into the space within the union rings, allowing it to fill the gaps slowly.

"Are the dishes set up?" Nema asked as she passed by me with a quickly tossed salad.

"Ask the boys," I replied, keeping my eyes trained on the platter in my hands. The last thing that I wanted was for the broth to spill everywhere. When I finally placed the platter onto the table, I let out a sigh of relief. Weber walked over with the rest of the Sarin family trailing after him.

"This looks amazing. Nema, you should be a master chef," he whistled appreciatively.

"Crimson did half of it," she replied, smiling at me. I grinned back at her before she clapped her hands twice. "Alright, everyone! Let's sit down and eat!" Nema sat down on my left while Ambar took my right. Weber sat to Nema's left and Mr. Sarin settled down at the edge of the table. Next to him was Mrs. Sarin, then Marut, Ben, Alisha, and Shanti. "Hey Crimson, can you pass the onion rings?" Nema asked, nodding at the platter that rested to my right.

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

I didn't see Crimson for the rest of the day. Alisha was finally forgiven by her father at around seven in the afternoon, when it was dinnertime. Her pride was fatally wounded, and she openly displayed that by staying quiet at the dinner table. Rashmi glanced at her daughter worriedly, but a stern look from her husband made her return her gaze to her plate. Shanti, aware of her sister's feelings toward Summer, said nothing about the ranger until Alisha returned to her room, unwilling to speak to anyone. Once she heard Alisha's door close, she dragged Rashmi into the living room and began to tell her in detail about Summer's heroics.

Ambar and I retreated back to our room to discuss what might've happened. "Do you think that she's upset about the patrol? She might not want to go to the manor with us anymore." Ambar frowned, resting his back against the wall.

"Well, Alisha was rather harsh with her words…"

"Yeah, but she can piss me off and I have a good tolerance for irritating things." Ambar scowled. "If anything, I would've been angry if someone accused me of trying to steal their girlfriend from them as well. Summer isn't that type of person."

"Yeah," I replied, feeling a twinge in my heart. "I know."

* * *

It was two in the afternoon when Ambar finally decided that he was going to ask Weber where Summer was. The weaver looked surprised and handed us a little note that he had found on his door that morning. "She said that she's spending time at Rand's house for a bit," he told us. "I saw her early in the morning doing a quick patrol." He frowned for a second. "She didn't look too steady on her feet."

Ambar and I shared a startled look. "Alright. Thanks, Weber!" He turned to me as we walked away from Weber's house. "'she didn't look to steady on her feet?' What a foreboding thought," he whispered. He frowned. "But what could she have been possibly doing that would make her so unsteady on her feet?"

* * *

"I just met Summer a couple of minutes ago. She and a blue-haired girl jumped off of that red and white flying Pokémon." Kamran frowned. "What was it called again?"

"Latias," I told him. He nodded and continued.

"Anyway, it turns out that she wasn't scared off by Alisha's outburst. In fact, it sounds like she was more scared that taking you guys out on that patrol scared us off," he laughed. _Sounds just like Crimson_, I thought, smiling. _Wait—what? Why did I think that? She's Summer and…are my memories coming back?_

* * *

"Biryani, butter chicken, Tandoori chicken…" Ambar trailed off, staring at the dishes that Rashmi was happily wrapping. "Now I'm jealous of Summer…I hope she invites us to dinner with her…" He was trying his best not to drool and I felt a twinge of empathy for him. The smell was absolutely bewitching. My mouth was watering as she handed one to me.

"_If_ she asks, then you can," Rashmi replied, kissing Kamran on the cheek as she ushered us out of the door. "Our dinner's almost finished cooking, so you won't starve if she doesn't decide to invite you." Ambar grumbled under his breath, pouting as we started heading toward Weber's house.

"Mother and her craziness…so happy to make other people these dishes when she only makes it for us twice a year…" He muttered. I let out a breathy laugh. Kamran flashed him an amused look.

"You know that your mother is very hospitable when it comes to others," he murmured. "I'm sure she'll feel more compelled to cook these dishes for you if you plead to her." Ambar balked at his words, spluttering.

"I have to beg first? Then that's not fair!" Kamran chuckled at his son's face before shifting the dish in his hand and knocking on the door. Five seconds later, Summer pulled open the door, her face lighting up in surprise. She glanced at the dishes in our hands and then glanced over her shoulder. Nema appeared behind her after a minute or two, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. I noticed that she was wearing an apron and the entire house smelled like food. My mouth watered. She was probably cooking.

"Mother wanted us to bring these dishes over to you so you could become more accustomed the food at the manor, but it seems that you already have your own," Ambar told her. Nema blinked at his words and let out a little shriek before disappearing back into the house. Summer tossed a concerned look after her and looked back to us.

"Actually, why don't you guys come over? We could have a potluck," she suggested. Ambar looked like was going to jump for joy. Kamran's eyes glittered at his son's reaction.

"That sounds delightful." He offered Summer his plate and she took it hastily. "I'll go tell Rashmi and the others. Boys, help Summer in any way possible." He brushed past me and headed off toward the direction of the inn. Summer smiled at us before quickly leading the way into the house.

"Weber, we're having a potluck with the Sarin family," she called into a small room. I craned my neck and saw the weaver hunched over a table.

"I'll be done in a few," he called back. Ambar and I set our dishes down onto the dining table as Summer rushed off to the kitchen in the back. She directed Ambar to the dishes and had me set out the silverware. By the time that we had both returned to the kitchen, Nema was heading back to the table with Summer following close behind. My mouth watered as I looked at the food on their plates. There was an arrangement of sliced bread topped with a slice of cheese and a breaded union ring. In the middle, some sort of dark broth filled the hole of the union ring. On the other, broccoli lined a plate with cabbage tossed with unions.

Summer had a very focused look on her face as she balanced the platter with the bread. She let out a sigh of relief as she placed it onto the table, a satisfied look on her face. I was startled by my sudden need to come up from behind her and wrap my arms around her waist—to breath in her scent and to hold her to me. **Then why don't you do it, Kiddo?** I blinked and looked around, the hair on my arms rising uneasily. _Who…_

I didn't get a chance to realize who was speaking in my head because Kamran and the others appeared behind a very impressed Weber. When we sat down to eat, I tried to keep my eyes focused on the plate in front of me, but my gaze kept drifting to Summer. My heart ached for her. _Look at me. Look at me please._ She laughed at Nema's jokes and at one point; her eyes flickered up to meet mine. Something flashed in her eyes before she quickly dipped her head and took a bite of chicken. I took a deep breath and cursed myself for being torn between holding my distance and following my heart. The food looked delicious and was amazingly good, but each time I lifted my fork to take another bite, the bitter taste of guilt would follow closely after I swallowed.

* * *

Third person – Oblivion

A dark figure growled as he paced the shadows, fisting his hands until he felt his nails threaten to tear open the skin of his palm. Another stood close by, watching his companion walk back and forth across the room. **I just don't understand**, the pacing one snarled. **Close—I was so close to getting him to hear us again. And when I finally realized that I had managed to get a connection, I'm cut off before I can even say anything!** The other figure narrowed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.

_**Instinct, regardless of whether we got to actually tell Ben what's going on with**_, he hesitated before gesturing to the dark room around them, _**this, at least we managed to get in contact with him. That tells us that we have another chance to talk to him again.**_

**Right, but how long will that be?** Instinct snarled. **Reason, as much as I hate to admit it—Ben is destroying the world around him because he can't remember anything. Every single time we try to come out and talk to him about C—**, he was cut off with a startled choke. Reason stood where he was, aware that he wouldn't be able to do anything to help Instinct. After a couple of seconds, Instinct recovered and he scowled as he rubbed his neck warily. Without warning, he suddenly began kicking the wall, cursing loudly as he did so. **Son of a bitch—fuck—why—shit—**he whirled around and faced Reason. **Why the fuck did he cut us out of his mind and throw us into this shithole?** Reason eyed him wearily and stared up at the ceiling.

_**I don't know**_, he replied truthfully. _**But I do know that sooner or later, this place is going to collapse on top of us if he doesn't find us soon.**_

* * *

A/N: FWWWHHAAAATTT?! Teehee

YAY! REASON AND INSTINCT RETURN! With...quite a problem up their sleeves...You'll be seeing more from them in the chapters to come. I was actually debating whether I should introduce them again next chapter but...I decided to have them here. Damn! And they even have their own little section in this!

*"Just a couple more days of practice and you'll be as good as your brother!" - This is referring to how Crimson's brother is in the police force. Since Policemen are trained with guns, Nema's telling her that in a couple of days she'll be as good as her brother, who is well trained with a gun. Then again, Crimson's only wielding a semi-automatic dart gun.

Anyway, I will give you a quick sneak peek of the next chapter...

It's going to be difficult to read. I will literally be describing as much as I can in Chapter 13 because it's going to be a new setting (thumbs up if you can guess what that's gonna be!) and I just like having a very specific and detailed picture in my head. Problem is, I sorta want you guys to also experience what I'm going through when I describe it. It's probably going to be the only one and you'll see a couple of characters that you hadn't seen in a bit, so...that might just make the chapter a tiny bit more enjoyable.

Thanks guys! R&R!


	14. Chapter 13

Hey guys! Just a quick heads up: I will not be updating as often as I used to (unfortunately). It seems that homework and testing are going to be bigger problems that I had originally thought it would be, so I'll be taking some time off to do those...But that means I won't be updating! It just means that instead of having a chapter being updated every other day (haha), it'll probably be about five to seven days at a time. Sorry!

I do not own Pokemon!

* * *

"See ya, Nema," I whispered, hugging her tight. She smiled and squeezed my shoulders when we parted.

"Knock 'em out of the park, Crimson," she murmured quietly. She shot a look at The Union, which was docked just behind me. "Operation: Crimson Crusader. Sub-Operation: Discover initiated." She gave me one last hug before watching me head onto the ship. I waved to her from where I was and she smiled back at me from where she stood. Rand stood beside her and I nodded back to him, showing him that I understood the message in his eyes. _Be careful. Keep your eyes out at all times. Save the Pokémon._ Within two minutes, the ship began to move away from the dock. After Sophian Island faded away to a tiny speck in the distance, I tore my gaze away and breathed in the salty ocean air.

"Hey Crimson. You looking forward to your stay at the manor?" I turned around to see Murph smiling at me.

"You know anyone would be," I replied, saluting him. "Captain Murph." His grin grew even broader at my words.

"Anyway, according to Professor Hastings, everything's okay. He sent out a warning and all the rangers who were on vacation returned the day that they received the message."

"That's great." Murph hesitated for a second before leaning in.

"How's Ben?" I bit my lip before replying.

"Doesn't remember a thing. He's definitely gotten more comfortable around me, though." Murph made a disappointed clicking noise and leaned back. "Do you know when we're supposed to reach the manor?" I glanced up at the sky and realized that it was darkening quickly.

"Two hours or so. There are snacks in the gallery if you want any. I have to go and check in with the crew real quick." Murph nodded before leaving me alone against the side of the ship. I moved from the back of the ship to the side, scanning the sides until I came to a familiar wood grain pattern. I gently trailed my fingers over it, tracing it just as I had a year ago. Closing my eyes, I lifted my head to the sky and tried my best to remember the moment that Ben had kissed me on The Union.

* * *

Pichu squealed happily, flying around on Alabaster's back. I had let the Ditto take a quick break from being inside of the Pokéball and he immediately took on the form of a Pelipper and scooped Ukulele Pichu onto his back. I watched the two of them from the railing, seeing the two of them soar on pockets of warm air and circle the ship. I lifted my hand and whistled with my forefinger and thumb. Immediately, Alabaster took a sharp turn and headed back in my direction. I lifted up my arm and he descended upon it in a second. I dug the minimized Pokéball out one of my belt compartments as Pichu leapt off of Alabaster's back and landed on the deck of the ship. The Pelipper-Ditto disappeared in a stream of red as the Pokéball summoned it back. The Pokéball quickly minimized in my hand and I shoved it into the empty compartment as quickly as I could.

Just as I sealed the pocket, Ambar and Marut walked onto the deck. Inwardly, I let out a sigh of relief. I had been doing all I could to make sure that nobody on the ship knew that I had Alabaster on board with me. Since Alabaster was a Ditto, he was capable of transforming into any Pokémon he wished to. But there was one other secret that I didn't tell Nema regarding my Ditto. _Alabster can take on the form of humans too._ Thirty years ago, the whole world believed that Dittos could transform into people as well. However, scientific research proved that it was only possible for them to transform into Pokémon and in rare cases, inanimate objects.

Since Alabaster had such a special ability, I did whatever I could to make sure that it wouldn't be discovered. _If people found out_…I shivered at the thought. Most likely, the Ditto would be locked up within the research lab and being tested over and over again. _I never want that to happen to Alabaster. I'll do everything to protect it no matter what._

"Summer? Aren't you going to go in to get something to eat? They have really good sandwiches with cream cheese and salmon," Ambar told me. Marut, who was holding onto Ambar's hand, looked up at me with wide eyes. Immediately the atmosphere became too awkward. I knew that Marut was still a bit scared from his earlier experience with the Grotle. Ambar instantly recognized the tension in the air and reacted quickly. "Pichu!" Ukulele Pichu looked up in surprise. "Play some music for us, will you? Something fun and energetic."

"Pichu!" He replied, jumping onto his feet and strumming on his ukulele. Ambar swayed from side to side for a bit before he grabbed me around the waist and spun me to face him. I felt my face heat up as both his hands took ahold of mine. He smiled at me as he spun me again.

"Do you know how to salsa?" He asked, leading me from side to side. I shook my head wildly, trying to get over my embarrassment. He shrugged. "Well, it's easy enough. Here. Bring your left foot back, step in place with your right, and bring your feet together again. Now step forward with your right, step in place with your left, and bring your feet together again. –center–back-center. There you go!" He encouraged me. The two of us repeated the steps over and over again, but I felt my face heating up each time I stepped on his foot. "Alright, now start getting the feel for the rhythm. Your hips are supposed to be moving from side to side at this point."

I blushed harder, realizing that, in fact, I was swaying from side to side as I got more used to the steps. Ambar seemed to notice how embarrassed I was and quickly slowed down to a stop. "Summer, don't try to fight it when your body sways like that." I nodded and he resumed his dancing. "Alright, I'm going to go off of eight counts. That'll tell you when to step, alright. Bring your left back on one, step in place on two, come back on three. Bring your right front on five, step in place on six, come back on seven. -two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight." Immediately, I felt my hips start to sway again as we danced. I stiffened at first, but then Ambar's words rang in my head again and I relaxed.

A smile played on his lips as we kept going. "Now we're going to do a right turn while keeping our hands together. Take your right and place it behind your left and step…step forward with your right, and turn," he said as he lifted his arms and led me through the turn. He paused and I looked down to see that our arms were crossed. "Okay, so then we get into wrap direction by…" he lifted his right arm and lifted it over his head so that now it rested on his right. My arms were wrapped around him and I flushed again. Ambar laughed before quickly turning back around. "Come on, Summer. Swallow that pride and shame and dance with me!" He untangled himself and took my hands in the basic position again.

"One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight. One-two-three-" he turned me, "-four-five-" he lifted his arm over his head, "-six-seven-eight. Now let's practice that again." As the two of us repeated the earlier steps and eventually advanced to newer steps, I began to feel more comfortable with my steps.

"How did you even learn to dance like this?" I asked, keeping most of my attention focused on my feet.

"School," he replied nonchalantly. "My parents were always fascinated by these kinds of dances and they wanted me to learn. I'm pretty glad I did now that I can dance with you." He nodded at Pichu and the music sped up by a couple of beats. Before I knew it, I was lost in the middle of the dance, twirling in Ambar's arms and matching my pace to the strum of the ukulele. Ambar's grin grew even larger as we continued to dance. Before I knew it, I felt completely invincible as I danced with him. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins as I swayed my hips and allowed the music to wash over me. I felt exhilarated, powerful, and absolutely unstoppable.

After what felt like five minutes, both of us were breathless and smiling at each other like fools. Ambar's eyes softened as he twirled me one last time and bowed low. "Summer, you lied when you said you couldn't dance," he laughed. "You were a natural. It only took you—what—six or seven stumble before you fell into the beat?"

"Well—" I started, but I was quickly cut off by applause. I looked over and felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me. Ambar shot an exasperated yet amused look at the crowd that had formed. "I…oh god," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. I heard whistles from the people on The Union and blushed even harder—if that was possible. Something tugged on my shirt and I looked down to see Marut staring at me with wide eyes. He gave me a smile and reached out his hands to me.

"You were pretty when you danced," he told me shyly. At his words, all of my earlier shame melted away and I squeezed his hands gratefully.

"Then why don't you dance with me?" As if he were going off a cue, Pichu started strumming on his ukulele again, and I pulled Marut to the center of the deck with me. Ambar laughed at my antics and joined in quickly, the three of us dancing wildly around each other. We twirled each other, clasped hands and built bridges for each other to duck under. Every once in a while, Ambar would disappear for a second and then drag someone else into the dance. First it was Shanti, then Murph, Mrs. Sarin, Ben, and Mr. Kamran. He also got some of the crew to join in until Alisha was the only one scowling on the side.

I danced with one of the crewmen before quickly stolen in the middle of a twirl by Ambar. He flashed the guy an apologetic smile and led me to where his parents were dancing. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I replied, grinning up at him. Laughter sparkled in his eyes as he pulled me close took spinning steps. When he twirled me again, I gave him a look. "Are you trying to tango with me?" I challenged playfully. He grinned innocently at me.

"Can't hate a guy for trying," he told me. "But I have to admit, that's a bit too…intense for this dance floor." He quickly resumed dancing the salsa, twirling me with a single flick of his hand. I laughed with him as the entire world seemed to light up as each person did their own dance to the strum of Pichu's ukulele.

* * *

I rested my arms on the railing of The Union, staring out into the distance. Behind me, everyone danced and laughed with one another. At one point, Murph and his crew brought up tables from the gallery and set up refreshments. Afterwards, dancing resumed and Pichu continued to diligently play his ukulele. I rested my elbows on the wood, shifting until I was comfortable. I had been dancing with Ambar, Marut, various crewmembers, and Mr. Sarin before I decided that I was too winded to keep dancing. I excused myself and returned to my spot by the ship railing, breathing in the salty air and taking in the light of the moon. I closed my eyes, drowning out the laughter and the music behind me and tried to return to the past.

"Summer, you're quite the dancer." I was jolted out of my daydreams and turned around to see Ben smiling shyly at me. I gave him a small smile in return.

"Thank you. I definitely had fun." He made no move to turn away and instead leaned against the railing beside me. "Too tired of dancing?" He looked up in surprise at my question.

"More like I'm too tired of having Alisha glare down every girl who tries to dance with me." He let out an exasperated sigh. I gave him a sympathetic look and touched his shoulder gently. To my surprise, I didn't draw back stammering and Ben didn't stiffen at my touch. Instead, the two of us stared at each other. His brown eyes soften before he took my hand and brushed his lips against it. My heart fluttered and leapt into my throat. "May I have a dance?" His hair turned silver in the moonlight as he peered up through his eyelashes at me. I studied his face and felt myself being washed over by longing, love, and fear. His gaze was unwavering as he awaited my reply. I said nothing as I drew him to me and tilted my head to look him in the eyes.

"Always," I whispered. The look in his eyes darkened and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I expected him to lead me back to where everyone else was dancing, but he merely swayed side to side with me in his arms. The tune he was danced to was unknown to me, but after a couple of seconds, I felt myself being swept away and fell in line with his swaying. My arms came around his neck and my eyelids fluttered shut. At that moment, I surrendered myself to his embrace, resting my head against his chest and allowing his scent to overwhelm me. He dipped his head down and brushed his cheek against mine.

For just a single moment, it felt like I had Ben back.

* * *

It was roughly nine o'clock when we arrived at the manor. I felt like I was walking on water as I headed off The Union with my duffle bag slung over my shoulder. My lungs expanded and I felt light headed—as if I had been inhaling liter after liter of pure oxygen. The Sarin family was having the crewmembers assist them in hauling their things up to the manor and Mrs. Sarin studied my duffle bag skeptically. "Summer, where are your other things?" Pulled roughly out of my reverie, I blinked at her question.

"A-actually, this is all I own," I replied, suddenly feeling extremely embarrassed. Mrs. Sarin's eyes narrowed as she glanced at my duffle bag again.

"That won't do," she muttered to herself, clicking her tongue disapprovingly. Her dark brown eyes met mine with a steely resolve. "That just settles it. I will summon the tailors tomorrow morning and you will spend the entire day being fitted." I balked at her words.

"Mrs. Sarin, I'm in no need of new clothes!"

"Silence, Summer! I am the mistress of this manor and if you wish to stay, you will allow me to do this for you!" I hesitated then—if I wasn't allowed to stay on the manor, then all of Rand's efforts to get me in were going to be wasted. Mrs. Sarin's eyes narrowed triumphantly. "The tailors will come at around nine o'clock tomorrow," she told me. "Now, let's get you situated with everyone else. We'll be letting you choose your room along with all the others." I followed the Sarin family as they headed past the gates and into the mansion. I was too exhausted to even study the scenery. Before long, Alisha, Shanti, Marut, Ambar, Ben, and I were all standing in a wide, elegant hallway with doors bordering all sides on the second floor.

Ambar was given first rights as the first son. He chose a room close by the stairs. Alisha and her siblings were told to go right after him and choose which rooms they wished to claim. Alisha staked a claim on one that was two doors down from her brother. Marut and Shanti quickly took the two bedrooms that lay across from their older siblings'. Ben and I were then left to decide which two out of the five bedrooms left that we wanted. I explored the five rooms thoroughly as Ben trailed sleepily behind me. The one right next to Alisha's was beautiful, with tree patterns and a very forest feel to it. The one across from it was designed with patterns and designs that represented the ocean. Ben eventually claimed one that had bird and sky designs on it. He lugged his suitcases into the room right next to Ambar's. At that point, Mr. and Mrs. Sarin retired to their master bedroom on the other side of the hallway, satisfied that nobody had fought over rooms.

The next room that I explored was unpainted and had various wood grain patterns on the walls. It created a very homely feel and made me feel as if I were standing in a beautiful, unpainted log cabin. I ducked quickly out of the room and opened the last door, which was at the very end of the hallway. When I stepped in, my breath caught in my throat. It was a long and narrow room, well furnished with comfy looking sofa chairs and other furniture. A queen canopy bed sat at the left corner of the room, the sheer curtains around it tied up neatly. There was a large glass door that led to the outside. I gently set my duffle bag onto one sofa and noticed a small door to my right. I pulled it open and found myself in a small but elegant bathroom. Breathless, I returned back to the bedroom and opened the glass doors. I walked out onto the balcony, awestruck by the beautiful sight that lay before me.

My balcony oversaw the garden that Mr. Sarin had been telling me about. A large lake shimmered in the moonlight and everything was drenched in silver. A variety of trees and plants decorated the grassy plain and a stone path glowed in the darkness. I would've stayed there for the entire night if I could, but I could feel sleep trying tug me from consciousness. With a sigh, I reentered my new bedroom and shut the doors behind me, not bothering to pull the curtains over the glass as I buried myself under the soft and silky blankets of my bed.

* * *

I awoke with the sun shining on my face. With a low groan, I stretched, allowing myself to reboot. _The tailors will come around nine o'clock_. I bolted upright and snatched my Styler off the side the nightstand. I stared at the time and let out a long sigh of relief. It was only eight in the morning. I sat up with a yawn before heading over to the bathroom. There, awaiting me on the marble counter was a new tube of toothpaste and an unopened toothbrush. As I brushed my teeth, I took in my surroundings. The walls of the bathroom were painted a very pale cream color and there were three large mirrors reflecting everything back at me.

After rinsing out my mouth, I curiously hooked my fingers under the mirrors. After testing and fiddling around, I found out that the two side mirrors opened to reveal cabinets. The bathtub was placed against the wall and glowed white against the dark, speckled tile that decorated the floor. A small toilet sat a couple of feet away from the bathtub in a small corner of its own. A small window sat near the top of the wall.

Once I was done brushing out my hair, I returned to my bedroom. The first thing that I did was throw open the glass doors in order to air out my room. As the sunlight warmed the pale carpet beneath my feet, I studied the room in interest. The walls were painted a nice periwinkle color and a dark chestnut closet stood on the other side of the room. Close by was a fairly large bureau and on the wall adjacent to it—on the same wall as the door—was a comfy looking cream-colored sofa. Beside it was a small empty bookshelf.

I walked out onto the balcony and took in the sights of the garden again. As I had seen yesterday, a large lake sparkled back at me in the middle of the garden. Now that I looked closely, a small maze of rosebushes were arranged and rows of other plants decorated the grass. Birch, oak, and rowan trees bordered the garden and two large willows towered over the lake. Deciding that I would have to go out and explore as soon as I could, I quickly unpacked my duffle bag and moved the few things that I had into the bureau. When I pulled out Nema's old trick box, I walked over to my nightstand and placed it in on one of the higher shelves. By the time that I was satisfied with how I organized the room, there was a soft knock on my room.

Cautiously, I pulled open to door to see Mrs. Sarin and two other women standing close by. She looked pleasantly surprised that I was awake. "Summer! Awake already? Do you mind if we start our fitting early, then?" Without waiting for my reply, she led the other women into my room. Both carried suitcases of fabrics, tools, and other things. "That's right, Summer. Stand still, stand up straight, and make sure not to move." The two women busied themselves with measuring me and making quick notes of my measurements. "Ben's birthday's coming up, so we'll need a beautiful dress for her. I think that we should make an outfit that would be easy to move in for our practices, of course." Mrs. Sarin beamed at me. "Let's make you a couple of dresses, then, shall we?"

Fabrics were held up against my chest and I was asked multiple times if I dislike or adored the different patterns that could be used to decorate my clothing. "What would look on her?"

"Blue would look nice against her hair and her eyes," one of the tailors suggested.

"Yet so does orange. In fact, this color compliments her hair color," the other argued.

"How about purple? That's a nice color as well," Mrs. Sarin mused. I let out a sigh as they continued to bicker over what color would look best on me. I studied the fabrics that were flowing out of the suitcases and mentally disapproved each one. "We need a good color that'll make her look absolutely ravishing for Ben's birthday party. After all, all the women invited will be dressed their best. It is a family tradition!"

"How about that one?" I pointed to a blood-red fabric that was mostly hidden under layers of silk and cotton. Mrs. Sarin tested the texture with her forefinger and her thumb, looking thoughtful as she held it up against me. A broad grin grew across her face.

"Absolutely amazing." She whirled around and pushed the fabric into the hands of the tailor closest to her. "Gold thread and feather patterns. I see it now." She stared off into the distance with a thoughtful smile on her face. "Sheer ribbons on the sides! Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!" The tailors scrambled to take notes on what Mrs. Sarin was thinking of. "Gold sandals. With weaving strands wrapping around her foot comfortably. It should go past her ankle." She nodded approvingly at the quick sketch that one tailor showed her. "Alright, now that the dress is finished…" She looked back at me with a critical eye. "Everyday clothing…A cream colored shirt—short sleeved and made of the finest cotton! Shorts that reach her knees…make them a nice beige color. Give her some shoes that are easy to move in.

"As for an everyday dress…I picture a pale cream colored fabric that's tied with a sash that's decorated in blue and purple. Simple…yet flamboyant." A blissful smile grew on her face. "Yes, and simple sandals to cover her feet. Oh Summer, you're going to look amazing in these clothes!" Mrs. Sarin gushed, grabbing my hands with hers. I smiled hesitantly at her as the tailors finished making notes and quickly packed up their things. Mrs. Sarin glanced in their direction and nodded to dismiss them. "Come down for breakfast," she told me. "And explore the manor! There's so much to take in…after all, I designed it but I can't help but be amazed by how it truly looks." She patted my shoulders before disappearing through my door.

I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a long sigh as I studied the sunlight that touched the room. It encompassed a good half of my bed. I quickly made my bed and fluffed my pillows before slipping my shoes and socks. Closing the door quietly behind me, I headed down the spiral staircase and made my way down the hallway. The walls were painted a whitish color and Victorian lights decorated the ceiling above me. The staircase was in the middle of the mansion, so I took a right and headed down the corridor. I peeked into a large room and realized that was a living/technology room with a TV and several other electronics. _Nema would've loved this place_, I thought. _I'll call her once I'm done exploring._ The door across from the hall led to a medium-sized room with a swimming pool in the middle.

The next one down was a large room filled with washing machines and dryers. After realizing that I was on the wrong side of the hall, I quickly retreated and headed in the opposite direction. An enormous ballroom stood to my right and to my left I heard laughter and people talking. Automatically assuming the room to be the dining area, I stepped in. I was rewarded with Ambar and Mr. Sarin greeting me from where they sat at the table. Alisha scowled when she saw me and returned her attention to her breakfast. Shanti waved excitedly from where she sat and patted the chair next to her. Smiling, I made my way to the table and settled down beside her. Marut smiled shyly at me on my right.

"Good morning, Summer! How did you sleep last night?" Mr. Sarin asked, sipping from his mug.

"Like a rock," I replied. "I was exhausted from all the dancing last night."

"All of us were," he chuckled. "We're having bagels and sausages for breakfast. Go ahead and tell the servants what you would like." On cue, a servant leaned in between Shanti and I to ask me for my order. I lifted my head to ask him what he had and froze. The man had blonde hair and red streaks coloring the tips of his hair. His eyes were a dark shade of red. _Red Eyes…_His nod was so subtle that I almost doubted that I had seen in. I glanced down at his paper, pretending to study what others had chosen for their breakfast.

"What would you suggest?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible.

"I would suggest that you try the egg bagel with cream cheese and salmon with a side helping of the chef's famous sausages." His eyes met mine and quickly flickered down to his paper. It was a particularly long list of ingredients, but I knew that he was going to scribble something down for me on his paper. I just had to be subtle and quick enough to catch it.

"That sounds amazing," I replied, lowering my head and pretending that I was studying pattern on the tablecloth. My eyes darted onto his paper and saw a something scrawled in the corner. _11, ur room, door op._ I smiled back up at him as sweetly as I could when he pulled away. "Thank you." The corner of his lip twitched upwards in a smile. _Message received_, I thought to myself. _Now, just keep playing this role, Crimson._ "Mr. Sarin, when exactly do you want me to go out into your gardens and make sure that the Pokémon are alright?" Mr. Sarin looked fairly surprised at my question.

"Well…how about we have you go early in the morning to get them up, sometime at noon to make sure they aren't drying up under the sun, and at nightfall so you can get them settled down?" He suggested. "They have their own little quarters out in the garden." I bit my lip hesitantly and he raised an eyebrow at me. "Is there something wrong?"

"I think that the Pokémon would be much happier if they just stayed in the garden," I told him. "Plant Pokémon always flourish whenever they're around other plants and when they can stay in something that reminds them of nature. There's no need in placing them in specialized quarters. They naturally wake up when the sun rises to catch the morning rays. I'll just go around and make sure all of them are awake and make sure that nothing's bothering them."

"Well…we did have an area built for housing these Pokémon…" Mr. Sarin looked hesitant. I tried to press further.

"I know that you spent money on it, but I'm sure you can find some other purpose for it. The Pokémon will be much happier when they can be surrounded by the plants."

"Alright…" Mr. Sarin still looked unconvinced. Ben quickly spoke up from the other side of the table.

"Kamran, if you want, I can go out and report on the Pokémons' behavior in the garden. We can try with three days in the quarters and three days in the open, like Summer suggested. Then we'll see which one will benefit the gardens the most," he offered. He nodded reassuringly in my direction. "What Summer says has some reason behind it. If it turns out that it's better for them to be in the quarters, then they'll stay there." I clenched my jaw, trying hard to keep myself from gaping. Ben? Pokémon behavior reports? Either he had his memory back or he was really trying to be a considerate guy.

"Sounds like a good deal," Ambar commented, glancing at his father. Mr. Sarin shot him an exasperated look and let out a sigh, chuckling as he shook his head slowly.

"Teenagers," he mused. Ben and Ambar shared grimaces. If anything, the three of us were young adults. After all, we were all at legal voting age. "Alright, you'll have your way. I expect full reports for every day, Ben." The brown haired had a slightly pained look on his face for a split second, but he quickly laughed it off. "Summer, if you don't mind—I'd like you to start tomorrow. If you start soon, I'll have some time to think about what I could transform the quartering area into while it's still fresh on my mind."

"No problem."

"Also, Summer?" I turned to see Mrs. Sarin swallowing on a bite of bagel before smiling at me. "I'd like to start our lessons soon. But since you and Ben will be doing the best on your reports, I'll push the lessons back to next week." I frowned and opened my mouth to disagree, but I quickly remembered Red Eyes and decided to keep my mouth shut.

"That sounds great." I smiled at her. "I'll be looking forward to it." Red Eyes reappeared with my breakfast, setting it gracefully down in front of me.

"_Eleven_," he whispered before disappearing.

* * *

The patrols went by fairly easily and each took about half an hour. Ambar and Alisha had followed us closely during these patrols, stating that they were exploring the gardens and had thought it was a smart idea to travel with us. Ben and I allowed them to accompany us, but the way that Alisha and Ambar purposely cut us off from each other was very curious. If anything, they were trying to keep Ben and I away from one another. Although Ambar was in favor of my suggestion to allow the grass Pokémon to travel freely, he made it much harder for me to talk to Ben and help him record necessary information. Either way, I held onto my patience and tried hard to ignore the death glares that Alisha would toss me every time that I walked over to point something out to Ben.

At dinner, I excused myself early and retreated to my room, too anxious to meet with Red Eyes and get a report than to settle down and eat. Sighing, I remade my bed and let the warm breeze billow into the room, caressing my skin and blowing across my cheeks. There was a knock on the door and I quickly stood up to answer it. When I opened the door, I saw Mrs. Sarin smiling warmly at me with two girls standing behind her. "Summer, everyone in the manor has at least someone to wait on them, and you were the only one who hasn't gotten anyone to care for you." She made a sweeping gesture to the girls behind her, who both bowed lowly. "Heather and Lauren have both offered to take care of you. These girls will do your laundry and assist you in any way possible. They'll stay in the built in quarters right here." She pulled on the side of a panel that I hadn't seen before and it swung open. Inside, I could see a small room that contained a bunk bed and a single bureau.

"Mrs. Sarin, I don't need a maidservant." I glanced at the girls hesitantly. Although it would be very nice to have someone doing all of my chores for me, I wasn't sure if I could trust any of them to do a good job for me. _Not to mention, I have a lot of secrets to keep_, I thought. _I can't just let anyone explore and take care of my room for me._

"You'll be too busy to care for your clothing or your room by the time that you're training with me and working for Kamran," she replied. Seeing my discomfort, she let out a sigh and proposed a compromise. "Then why don't you just pick one? Girls, lift up your faces." I studied each of them uncertainly. If only she didn't make me choose to have one at all…

One of them was a brunette with waxy skin and bright green eyes. She was beautiful, but the way that she held herself only added to my discomfort. The other had pale blonde hair and powdery blue eyes. She met my gaze and tapped her ear as if she was trying to test her ear drums. My eyes widened when I recognized her. _Blue Eyes!_ "Your names?" I asked softly.

"My name is Lauren," the brunette said.

"Heather," Blue Eyes murmured. I nodded at Mrs. Sarin, who was watching me curiously.

"I'll take Heather. Thank you, Lauren." The brunette bowed and quickly left the room. Mrs. Sarin clapped her hands twice, pleased with my choice.

"Good! Now we won't have to worry too much about chores. Would you like me to send someone up with something to eat?"

"Not right now. I'm not very hungry." It was true—butterflies were dancing in my stomach. I was desperate to be alone with Blue Eyes now. "If I need anything, I'll just ask…Heather to grab something for me."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow morning, then." Mrs. Sarin bid me goodnight and disappeared out the door. As soon as the door closed and the footsteps faded into the distance, I turned to face Blue Eyes.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you right now," I whispered. Blue Eyes held a finger to her lips and quickly circled the room scanning the corners and studying the walls. I watched as she made her way around the room, ducking under furniture and groping for something. She disappeared onto the balcony for a minute or two before quickly dashing into her new quarters. She returned with a jar filled with what looked like small computer chips. Each and every one had a small antennae stuck on them. I followed her into the bathroom and saw her pouring shampoo into the jar. She quickly headed over to the faucet and filled the jar with water. I expected the devices in the container to start sparking upon contact with the water, but nothing happened.

I watched as she emptied the jar and started snapping the antennae off. I rushed over to help her and the broken pieces were tossed over the balcony. The small chips were wrapped up in a cloth and Blue Eyes glanced around worriedly, as if unsure of where she could get rid of them. I led her back to the main room and scribbled on a piece of paper. _Microphones?_ She nodded._ Are they all broken?_ Another nod. I put a finger to my lips as I spotted something dark on the top of my canopy bed. I reached up and found another microphone that Blue Eyes hadn't spotted earlier. Her eyes narrowed at the chip in my hand. I stuck it under my pillow and reached into one of my belt compartments for Alabaster's Pokéball. Within seconds, the Ditto was out on the bed, watching me expectantly.

"Swellow," I whispered. Immediately, Alabaster changed forms and held out one of its legs. I reached under the pillow and took out the mike before placing it in its talons. "Nema's house." Blue Eyes nudged me and handed me the small bundle of mikes that she had broken. I weighed it hesitantly and passed it to Alabaster anyway. It would be very difficult to get rid of this in the manor. "Drop these in the ocean," I breathed while wrapping my hand around the working one to muffle my voice. "But take this one to Nema's." Alabaster nodded again and took off, quickly fading into the darkness with his dark colors. I grabbed the piece of paper and scrawled one last word to Blue Eyes. _Safe?_ She did another thorough search of the room—even looking through all of the drawers in the room and checking every crook—before nodding and I let out a sigh of relief.

"There're mikes planted everywhere?"

"Yep. Thankfully Red Eyes is Ben's servant, so he'll get rid of all the mikes like I did. I was afraid that you wouldn't recognize me for a second." She tugged on one of her bangs and I realized that it was a shade lighter than the rest of her hair. "I had to bleach it because the organization said that I'd stand out too much otherwise. That didn't stop Red Eyes from adding even more streaks in his hair." She snorted. "He's going under the name of 'Lewis' right now. Anyway, it was a miracle that I was even able to destroy those mikes and get rid of them so easily. It's going to be a bit easier for him to burn them in the furnace or something since he was only kicked off the Pincher Team after the Societa was exposed."

"Is there anything you can fill me in on?" I glanced over at the door and patted my bedside gently. Blue Eyes settled herself down and began to fill me in with soft whispers.

"There are Pokémon deep below the manor being tested on and being drugged to obey the organization. It's called The Utopia." I raised an eyebrow at the name. Blue Eyes smiled wryly at my reaction. "That's exactly how I reacted when I heard the name. The Pokémon that are under the control of the 'Utopians' have been working on creating these devices that look similar to what we used to have as control gauntlets. Except," she hesitated, "that they both immobilize the Pokémon and allow the people to hypnotize the people like a Drowzee or a Hypno would. They don't actually suck in Pokémon similarly to how our gauntlets used to work."

"Then what happens to the Pokémon who are controlled?"

"Sucked into Pokéballs. Pokéballs are the contracts between a Pokémon and his Pokémon trainer. While these Pokémon are completely brainwashed, they're stuck in Pokéballs so that even when they're fighting against the drugs in their systems or the hypnosis, they can be subdued with the click of a butt." I ran my fingers through my hair, chewing on my lip.

"That's going to make things a lot more difficult. Do you know where they're being kept? I'll be communicating with Nema for most of the time so at one point we'll be able to schedule a time that we can break down this organization."

"I'm not close enough to know, but one of the founders is interested in me." She studied her nails distastefully. "He's a complete sociopath, but I'll kiss up to him so I can get the information that you need."

"Just be sure that he doesn't do anything to you."

"Of course not," she scoffed. She gave me a quick smile to show that there was no sting in her actions. "I know my limits. But I will do what I can to clear up my name." She paused for a second. "Even as a pincher I didn't like the glazed look in the Pokémons' eyes. After my Feraligator returned to me after I had been kicked out of the Pincher Organization…my opinion of Pokémon has completely changed. They're not things to control."

"Amen to that." I glanced at my Styler. "Eight thirty. Red Eyes is supposed to be here at eleven." I cocked my head to the side. "Have anything we can do to pass the time?"

* * *

Blue Eyes and I looked at the slightly opened door in suspicion when it was slowly pulled open. A familiar streaked head popped in and Red Eyes quickly closed the door behind him. He nodded to Blue Eyes and smiled at me. "Crimson," he greeted, "looking as good as ever."

"Thanks, Red Eyes."

"So, how many mikes did you find in Ben's room?" Blue Eyes cut to the chase.

"About twenty. You?"

"Close to thirty." Blue Eyes' eyes hardened. "They're really loading up on Ben, huh?" She turned to me, obviously aware of how confused I was. "Red Eyes and I suspect that it was a plan for the 'Utopians' to knock out Ben's memories and manipulate the Sarin family to their wills. However, they weren't expecting _you_ to be stationed in Oblivia since you're a specialty ranger and there were conflicts arising from other regions."

"Wait, they were the ones sparking the conflict?"

"There's a high probability that they did," Red Eyes replied. "They wanted to draw attention as far away from where the manor and the family would live while they were waiting for the manor to be finished. A couple of months ago, at least fifty people were sent out on a mission and didn't return until late in the day. Where was a small celebration held and it turned out that they had just returned from a successful attack on the Ranger Union." I stiffened at his words. "They weren't exactly happy when they saw you come last night with the Sarin family. Be careful, Crimson. You're their main target for now." Red Eyes stopped and listened intently before nodding at me. "I have to go. If anything, we'll keep these meetings as short as possible. I have to get back to Ben's room before they do a quick patrol of the manor and making sure that each person is in their right rooms. They have heat detectors and scanners. They can figure out when one of us is real or not." Red Eyes slipped quietly out of the room and Blue Eyes shut the door behind him.

"Well, it looks like we've finally hit some rocky weather," she sighed, turning back to me. "So, are you ready for the climb?" Her eyes gazed steadily at me. "Let the battles begin."

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

"Ben!" I looked up to see a well-rounded man waving at me as he walked over. "I'm Murph, if you don't remember." He shook my hand and smiled. "I'm captain of The Union. You've had a couple of rides on this ship before. Feel any connections?" I blinked and looked around the ship, feeling something tug at my heartstrings. The smile on the brunette's face faded a bit when he realized something else was going on. "Ben?"

"That place right there…" I whispered, pointing toward the railing across the deck. Murph's eyebrows furrowed together before a look of recognition crossed his face.

"It can't be…" He whispered before quickly running onto his other side. He took a couple of steps forward before letting out a catcall. I watched him curiously as he turned back to me, a new light in his eyes. A smile lit up his face a couple of seconds later. "I knew it," he whispered. "I knew that you would remember something from this ship. Oh, I've got to go tell Crimson!" With that, the portly man dashed off with unimaginable speed. I blinked at him before walking over to the railing myself. I stared at the wood grain and looked up at the horizon. Something connected and an image quickly popped up in my head. _A girl stood next to me, tracing the pattern of the wood grain with her finger. She looked beautiful in the sunset. She blinked at me and gave me a shy smile, her cheeks reddening prettily as her face seemed to come closer…_

"Crimson?" I whispered into the air.

* * *

After spending a good thirty minutes in the gallery accompanying Alisha as she took delicate and slow bites of her sandwich, I was bored and longing for fresh air. Kamran and Rashmi seemed to second my feelings and walked up onto the main deck with me. As we climbed the stairs, I became aware of the sound of a ukulele playing. There was a gasp from Rashmi and she pointed forward, her eyes glowing with surprise and excitement. "Look!"

Marut stood with his back to us, head tilted upward as if he was staring at something. I glanced uneasily back to Rashmi, unsure of why she was so excited to see her son staring off dazedly. I followed her gaze until I saw two figures dancing together in the moonlight. One figure, undeniably feminine, shook her hips and twirled with grace. The other, a much more masculine figure, spun her and danced around her with ease. When their faces were touched with the moonlight, a mixture of jealousy and awe filled my heart.

Ambar and Summer danced together, flirting with their bodies as their hips sashayed and shook from side to side. Summer's blue eyes sparkled as she danced around him, laughing as she arched her back and allowed her hips to shake in a very seductive way. Alisha appeared at my side and scowled again, automatically disapproving of her brother's actions. However, in her eyes, I noticed a hint of jealousy as she watched Summer dance.

The ranger was a natural—stealing the spotlight as she twirled herself in his arms, rolling her hips and shaking them rhythmically with the strum of the ukulele. After a bit, Ambar twirled Summer one more time and bowed low. Both of them looked breathless and absolutely exhilarated as they stared at one another. Ambar said something to her and as Summer opened her mouth to reply, cheers erupted from around me. Startled, I turned to find that the crewmen and the others on the ship had gathered around during the dance. Summer's face turned bright red and she buried her head in her hands, looking absolutely embarrassed. Ambar laughed, but color dusted his cheeks as well as he studied the crowd uneasily. Marut tugged on Summer's shirt and within seconds, he and Summer were dancing on the deck. She twirled him and her earlier seductive movements turned playful and innocent. Ambar let out a chuckle before jumping into the dance.

He disappeared every once in a while to drag someone from the crowd into the dance. Shanti went willingly, but others had to be encouraged. At one point, I found myself being pulled into the dance and Alisha glowered at her brother before quickly joining me on the dance floor. She grabbed my hands and set them on her waist and forced me into a slow dance while everyone else around us danced sporatically. I craned my neck and was just barely able to see glimpses of Summer as she danced with a rather attractive crewman. Within seconds, a familiar dark face stole her away and she was spun away to dance with Ambar. A feeling of unsettlement filled my heart as I half-heartedly danced with Alisha. I ducked my head when the girl in my arms sent me a curious look. _I want to dance with Summer_, I thought, unsure of why I felt so guilty for it.

* * *

My eyes never left Summer for the rest of that night. I waited a couple of minutes after she left the crowd to approach her. Alisha, who was currently distracted by the crewman who had been dancing with Summer earlier, had given me a pout when I left for refreshments.

Under the moonlight, Summer's hair turned silver. She was staring off in the distance, slowly tracing the pattern of the wood grain. I frowned for a second, remembering the memory that had returned. Had she been the girl next to me? "Summer, you're quite the dancer." Before I realized it, the words had already left my mouth. She jumped and turned around, cheeks flushed and eyes wide as she took in my presence. I gave her a smile and was delighted that she returned it.

"Thank you. I definitely had fun," she replied. Steeling my jittery nerves and ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, I rested against the railing next to her. She raised a curious eyebrow at me. "Too tired of dancing?" I glanced at her in surprise.

"More like I'm too tired of having Alisha glare down every girl who tries to dance with me," I sighed. Summer smiled sympathetically at me and touched my shoulder gently. To my surprise, I didn't stiffen up at her touch. Instead, I stared at her in the moonlight. Her eyelashes fluttered as she glanced at where her hand rested and returned her eyes to mine. My heart began to pound loudly in my chest. _Do something—do something, Ben! I don't want this moment to end!_ I gave into my desires and lifted her hand to my mouth, kissing the back of it softly. "May I have a dance?" Nervously, I looked up and was absolutely blown away by the emotions flickering in Summer's eyes.

They were a mixture of longing and fear. Immediately I wanted to snatch my hand away and curse myself for being so direct, but I stood enraptured. As I watched, longing quickly overpowered fear as her lips parted slightly and she drew me near. My heart leapt into my throat as she whispered up at me. "Always." A possessive feeling took over me as I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her to me. A nameless tune flowed into my head as I held her, and I slowly began to sway to that rhythm. I could feel Summer's confusion at first, but before long, she had her arms around my neck and swaying along with me. I looked down to see her eyelids flutter shut as she leaned against me and I dipped my head to press my cheek against hers.

For just a single moment, I felt like I knew myself again.

* * *

I chewed thoughtfully on my mouthful of bagel and cream cheese as I thought about what happened last night. I had awakened this morning to Ambar's knocking and opened the door to welcome him in. I saw him take in the details of the room with an appreciative smile on his face.

The room was painted a pale blue color with clouds painted everywhere. Bird Pokémon were drawn intricately on the walls and decorated the wood of my bed frame. A large window with a small balcony stood a couple of inches away from my bed. When I had been sleepily exploring the rooms with Summer, this one caught my eye and I refused to check out the other rooms. For some reason, this room stood out to me. But why did the sky have so much of an effect on me?

"Good morning, Summer!" I looked up just in time to see Summer walk in with a shy smile on her face. She seated herself between Shanti and Marut, who seemed to have been saving that one chair for her. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Like a rock," she admitted. "I was exhausted from all the dancing last night." I felt my cheeks heat up when I remembered how we had somewhat danced together in the moonlight. Alisha gave me a puzzled look but returned to chasing eggs around on her plate.

"All of us were. We're having bagels and sausages for breakfast, but you're welcome to ask the chef for eggs or toast." Kamran gestured to the food on Ambar and Alisha's plates. "Go ahead and tell the servants what you want." Immediately, a blonde man with red streaks dyed in his hair leaned over, cutting in between Shanti and Summer. I furrowed my eyebrows when silence passed for a few long moments. What was going on here?

"What would you suggest?" Summer's voice asked quietly. _She must've just been talking to him very quietly_, I thought. Within seconds, the servant returned to the kitchen and Summer turned her attention to Kamran. "Mr. Sarin, when exactly do you want me to go out into your gardens to make sure that the Pokémon are alright?"

"Well…how about we have you go early in the morning to get them up, sometime at noon to make sure they aren't drying up under the sun, and at nightfall so you can get them settled down?" He suggested. "They have their own little quarters out in the garden." Summer looked conflicted at his words. Kamran frowned. "Is there something wrong?"

"I think that the Pokémon would be much happier if they just stayed in the garden," she told him. "Plant Pokémon always flourish whenever they're around other plants and when they can stay in something that reminds them of nature. There's no need in placing them in specialized quarters. They naturally wake up when the sun rises to catch the morning rays. I'll just go around and make sure all of them are awake and make sure that nothing's bothering them."

"Well…we did have an area built for housing these Pokémon…"

"I know that you spent money on it, but I'm sure you can find some other purpose for it. The Pokémon will be much happier when they can be surrounded by the plants." Summer pressed. Kamran's frown deepened. He was obviously unconvinced, and the ranger was well aware of that. Before I could realize what I was doing, I found myself talking.

"Kamran, if you want, I can go out and report on the Pokémons' behavior in the garden. We can try with three days in the quarters and three days in the open, like Summer suggested. Then we'll see which one will benefit the gardens the most," I offered. I gave Summer a reassuring nod when she turned her startled gaze onto me. "What Summer says has some reason behind it. If it turns out that it's better for them to be in the quarters, then they'll stay there."

"Sounds like a good deal." Ambar quickly caught onto what Summer and I were doing. Kamran gave him an exasperated look and shook his head good naturally.

"Teenagers," he mused. Ambar and I shared grimaces. _Teenagers? We're hardly teenagers anymore!_ I wailed inwardly. _I may be turning nineteen in a month, but I should be considered an adult at this point!_ "Alright, you'll have your way. I expect full reports for every day, Ben." I cursed myself mentally. What have I gotten myself into? "Summer, if you don't mind—I'd like you to start tomorrow. If you start soon, I'll have some time to think about what I could transform the quartering area into while it's still fresh on my mind."

"No problem." Summer quickly replied, beaming.

"Also, Summer?" Rashmi called for the ranger's attention. "I'd like to start our lessons soon. But since you and Ben will be doing the best on your reports, I'll push the lessons back to next week." Summer frowned at first and looked like she was going to argue, but she quickly closed her mouth and nodded.

"That sounds great. I'll be looking forward to it." Her answer was almost mechanical as the blonde servant from earlier returned with her breakfast.

* * *

"And those?" Summer pointed toward some Pokémon who were lumbering around happily in the sunlight.

"Venusaur, Tropius, Hopip, and an Oddish," I replied quietly. Summer's blue eyes studied me carefully as she nodded in affirmation.

"You're remembering the ranger training we used to go through." A small smile played at her lips. "That's great." Two bodies cut between the two of us and Summer's eyes widened in shock as Alisha and Ambar separated the two of us nonchalantly.

"Hey," Ambar greeted as Alisha latched onto my arm. "We were thinking about exploring with you guys since you'll be heading around the gardens for a bit."

"Don't you guys have…?" Ambar met my eyes and grinned happily.

"Father's withholding it until tomorrow," he said happily. "After all, the tutors have to settle in first. It's not like they'll be ready to just start whipping out lessons at Alisha and the others." He puffed his chest out proudly. "I'll be working alongside Father so I can learn the family business. I'll still have free time, though."

"That's good," Summer replied calmly. She nodded at me. "Note how sluggish the Pokémon are even when they're out in the sunlight."

"_Plant Pokémon survive the best when they can experience the first rays of the sun and spend as much time as they need to energize themselves._" The words came unexpectedly out of my mouth, rehearsed so well that it sounded as it was read straight off a document. Summer's grin widened at my words.

"Well, I guess now we won't have to just go off my words. Two people work much better than one." She smiled as a Tropius lowered its head and nuzzled her hand. I quickly jotted down the notes, trying my best to write neatly even though Alisha's tight grip was making it hard to do so. As soon as we were finished with the maze of plants and Pokémon, we headed to the lake. The water Pokémon, similarly to the plant Pokémon, were given quarters that they needed to be in once the sun set. The water was extremely calm and almost standstill. Summer leaned over side of the dock to peer into the depths of the water. With a frown, she adjusted the goggles on her head and stripped her loose pants and shirt off. I flushed at her actions before realizing that she had a wetsuit underneath. Ambar looked fairly startled as well, but he quickly regained his composure as Summer toed off her sandals and dove into the water.

Two minutes later, the ranger surfaced, moving the goggles and treading the water slowly. "The Pokémon are all resting at the bottom of the water," she reported. "When I approached, some acted rather viciously. Water Pokémon are used to having a lot of space to move around. They can't be kept in the tiny pools that Mr. Sarin's prepared for them." She nodded to me. "Ben, start wearing swim trunks or something starting tomorrow. Since you don't seem dressed for a swim, you'll have to stick with my words for now." With that, she swam over to the lakebed and climbed out, looking refreshed. Squeezing a bit of water out of her hair, she bent over to re-strap her sandals and picked up her clothes. "Let's check out the gardens on the other side," she suggested.

* * *

Summer left dinner early saying that she wasn't very hungry. Mrs. Sarin disappeared halfway through to go and check up on Summer. I finished dinner with everyone else before heading up to my bedroom. When I headed toward my room, I was startled to see the same blonde servant who had waiting on Summer that morning standing outside of my door. He wore a formal black vest and a button-up shirt. A bowtie was snuggly clasped around his neck. When he noticed my presence, he bowed low before lifting his head again. "Master Ben, I am Lewis. I come offering my services as a butler to take care of keeping your quarters clean and washing your clothing. All the other members of the Sarin family have all chosen their personal maids or butlers. I am aware that this concept may be very curious and uncomfortable for you, but I will warn you that Mistress Sarin will insist on assigning you at least one or two butlers. However, I hope that you choose me for the position." He bowed again respectfully.

I hesitated before asking, "Why are you doing this? Did I know you before?" He lifted his dark red eyes and studied me carefully.

"Perhaps," he replied quietly. "But perhaps not." The two of us stared at each other. _Well, if Rashmi is going to insist on me having a butler…_

"Alright. But don't call me Master Ben…it's just too weird," I told him.

"It is necessary that I address you correctly in public."

"Then do it in public. Otherwise…" I reached out my hand to him. "Call me Ben." Lewis blinked at my hand before taking it, giving me a firm shake with a small smile on his face.

"Ben, I will be staying in the quarters located in your room. It is small and is somewhat hidden, so you may not have been aware of such a room." Just as he said these words, Rashmi appeared with two girls following close behind. Both were dressed black dresses with long, full skirts. A white apron was tied around their waists and the collars of their dresses were lined with white lace. It was surprising to see these stiff and formal uniforms against the very casual and loose clothing that I wore. Rashmi glanced at Lewis and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Mistress Sarin, I have offered my services to Master Ben and he has agreed to allow me to work for him." Lewis bent over respectfully. Rashmi's surprised eyes flickered to me and I nodded in affirmation.

"Alright, well that definitely saves me some time." She nodded to the girls behind her. "These two girls are on their way to serve and assist Summer in any way possible. I'm glad you found a butler already. I have a feeling that that girl is going to fight me on this argument…" She muttered as she continued her march to Summer's room. I turned back to Lewis and he had opened the door to my room and flicked on the lights. He gave me a smile and quickly pulled aside a panel to reveal a small room.

"I will be in this room resting during the nighttime. If you are ever need me, just call out for me," he told me. "Good night, Ben."

* * *

A/N: THE RETURN OF BLUE EYES AND RED EYES!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm really falling in love with Ambar's character right now. But I'm still going to ship BenxSummer (duh!) regardless.

Anyway, I want to give shout-outs to two people who have my love: **Some Person**and **Sophia-DC**! **Some Person**, you've been the only one reviewing for me throughout the chapters and I just want to thank you so much for that. **Sophia-DC**, you are the first to follow & favorite! You two are awesome and I can't tell you how ecstatic I am every single time I check out how my stories are faring and see your love for this story there. Thanks again!_  
_

R&R!


	15. Chapter 14

AUUUGGGHHH! I LIEEEDDD!

Turns out homework isn't being too big of a problem. Well...I still have a ton of reading homework, so I was partially lying?

Ah, whatever. Enjoy!

I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

Ben all but threw himself out of the water after we had done a quick patrol of the lake. He scrabbled for his notes, not even noticing that his dripping hands were getting his notebook wet. I followed quickly after him, squeezing the water out of my hair as he furiously notes onto the damp paper. Ambar grinned at me from where he stood on the dock and Alisha scowled at me—as usual. They had insisted on joining us again for another patrol although both of them had appointments scheduled with mentors later on in the day. I quickly returned my attention to Ben, who had finished scribbling onto his pad and turned to me with a steely look on his face.

"I can't believe it!" He exploded, looking distastefully back toward the lake. "Those Pokémon are absolutely suffering in their 'quarters'. The Remoraid aren't even swimming around and the Milotics are so aggressive." He shook his head disbelievingly. "It's unbelievable. Those Pokémon shouldn't be locked up in tiny little chambers for hours on end!"

"Well then, at least you'll be able to report that to Mr. Sarin," I told him, squeezing my hair one more time to get as much water out of it as possible. If anything, I was going to have to go back to Blue Eyes so she could brush out my hair again. There was no way I was going to walk around looking like a Rattata had made a nest on my head. "If you don't dry your head off soon you'll get a cold," I warned him, tossing him one of the towels I had brought along with me. He blinked before vigorously drying his hair and shivering slightly when a chilly breeze brushed past us. "Let's patrol fast. I have a feeling that Ambar and Alisha aren't leaving until we're done. The last thing we want is for them to be late to their appointments." Slipping into my sandals, I laid the towel on my shoulders and headed back toward the dock, Ben following close afterward with his soggy notepad.

* * *

"Hey Summer," Nema's voice filled the speakers as Blue Eyes took to brushing my hair.

"Hey Nema," I answered, gesturing to my ear when Blue Eyes paused and raised an eyebrow at me. "All set up now?"

"Yep. It took a bit of time for me to access all the different cameras that Red Eyes and Blue Eyes managed to set up all around the manor. I had to create a whole new program just so I could monitor five at a time. Is Ukulele Pichu going around every few days or so in order for him to charge them up?"

"Yeah. Luckily, Blue Eyes managed to find out the schedules of all the other servants so Pichu can play his ukulele when most of them are away from their quarters. Not to mention, Mr. and Mrs. Sarin are so fond of him that they just let him play anywhere he wants to. By the way, where are all of the cameras located?"

"We have one in the kitchen, about four in the upstairs library, four in the servant's quarters, one on your balcony overlooking the garden, one in the upstairs rooms, three in the ballroom, one in the dining room, one in the hallway, two in the storage areas, and weirdly enough, one in each of the servants' bathrooms."

"Bathrooms?" I shot Blue Eyes a confused look. She looked rather amused as she tugged on a particularly stubborn clump of my hair. I winced as the brush pulled at my scalp mercilessly.

"Bathrooms are one of the biggest places of gossip," Blue Eyes replied, satisfied with getting the last clump out of my hair. "For girls, at least."

"Is that Blue Eyes I hear? Well, I can confirm that notion as well. Anyway, I have all of the cameras hooked up and I'll call you the second that I find them gathering on short notice. But for now…" Her voice was cut off by a yawn. "I really need to catch up on some sleep…went for a couple all-nighters to make the program. Thanks for the microphones too. I'll check up on those after I take a nap. See ya around, Crimson," she murmured sleepily before clicking off her end of the call.

Alabaster had returned before dawn after I had sent it off to find Nema. It was exhausted and hungry by the time that it had returned. Since we had no Pokémon food with us, the Ditto decided to catch up on its sleep rather than filling its stomach. Blue Eyes snuck downstairs in the early hours and stole a bag of Pokémon food and hid it in one of my drawers. "If anyone wonders about the Pokémon food, they'll think that we were a bit too generous with the food. I don't think they'll suspect me though. I'm the one that hangs around the kitchen washing dishes and in the back doing laundry." She had shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'll be looking forward to brushing your hair again." Blue Eyes waved the brush at me, smiling when she saw how I grimaced at the hair stuck in the bristles. "That should teach you to just jump into the water without a care in the world. Just be glad that the lake doesn't stink like a hellhole." She turned to put away the chair and the brush. "So one more day of agitated and hellish Pokémon before you get to do things the way that you like to?"

"Pretty much," I replied, quickly tying my hair up in a messy ponytail. "Since I don't have lessons with Mrs. Sarin yet, I'll go down and try to get the Pokémon in the garden and lake to be allied with me."

"Is that possible? I'm sure all of them are restrained by Pokéballs."

"Just because someone owns them doesn't mean that you can't befriend them," I replied as I headed out the door. "Mutiny isn't a bad thing when you're fighting for a just cause." Blue Eyes smirked as she watched me slip into my sandals.

"When did you get so rebellious and aggressive? I think I'm liking this new side of you." I snorted in amusement at her words.

"If you say so," I mused before slipping out the door with a wave.

* * *

The only highlight of the next day was that one of the Wartortles had snapped at me while Ben and I were patrolling the lake. It had taken me a second to capture it and calm it down, but even as it swam away, there was a lingering feeling of restlessness in the water. It seemed that every single Pokémon was on the edge thanks to their "quarters". Ben returned his report in to Mr. Sarin, who always frowned whenever he received them. At one point, Ben insisted on taking him to the lake and as promised, several water Pokémon lashed out at us once we waded deep enough into the water.

Visibly shaken, Mr. Sarin was led back to the mansion to rethink whether the construction of the quarters were worth the safety of his family. Nema had called me later for a short report and Blue Eyes continued to hide Alabaster's existence by helping me hide him while I was busy. Red Eyes dropped by every other night to give us a quick check-in on what was going on in Ben's life as his birthday was coming closer. He told us that meetings were going to be cancelled until the party was over, but he promised to contact us as soon as he received word of anything.

"Summer, after seeing the startling reports of how well the Pokémon are doing, I think we'll just have the Pokémon moved from their quarters. It seems like it's the only thing that will solve their horrible tempers," Mr. Sarin announced on Sunday, exactly one week from when we had arrived. I felt my shoulders relax at his words. _Finally_, I thought, _those Pokémon won't have to suffer from this whole quartering business anymore._

"Brilliant! Now that this is said and done, we'll get on with our lessons!" Mrs. Sarin beamed happily, ignoring the amused and slightly exasperated look her husband shot her. "It's about seven thirty now, so why don't we start at nine? Morning practice is undoubtedly the most refreshing." She looked at her children and clapped her hands twice. "Alright children, please go and meet with your tutors in half an hour. Your lessons will start soon."

"Yes," Marut and Shanti chorused in a perfunctory manner. Alisha said nothing as she pushed away from the table and headed upstairs, her siblings following close behind. Red Eyes leaned over to take my plates and gave me a very subtle nod and a smile. His eyes blinked good morning to me and I blinked back at him. Ambar and his father stayed at the head of the table to discuss the family business and waved goodbye to Ben and I as we followed Mrs. Sarin out of the dining area.

"I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard at nine," she told me before heading upstairs. The courtyard was on the eastern side of the lake and was surrounded by open grass. It consisted of benches and tables, tennis courts, and a small fountain.

"Alright," I called after her. I turned to Ben and he led me out into the garden, patting a Venusaur's back fondly as we headed out to the lake. There was a small patch of ground that was surrounded by trees in the far corner of the lake and that was usually where Ben and I spent our free time.

"It seems that I'll have to start taking lessons with the others sooner or later," he told me as we eased our legs into the shallows. "Of course, I'll still have time to ask you more about my past even if my schedule starts filling up." I leaned back to rest my palms against the ground and lifted my head to study the sky. "So, I'm a Garnet Ranger and my partner Pokémon is the Staraptor that's standing over there?" He pointed to the bird Pokémon who was nonchalantly preening his feathers on a low branch of a sycamore tree.

"Yep. He was actually held captive by the Pokémon Pinchers for some time after you had been captured by them."

"I still can't believe that I had to wait around and be saved."

"Well, you were tied up, blindfolded, and stuck in a submarine, so you really didn't have a choice. You managed to stick a tracker onto it so we could eventually find their location."

"Hmm. And who are these Julian and Jamie people again?"

"Jamie and Julian are partners. They were my closest friends and you were pretty close to them too. Jamie is blonde with blue eyes and Julian has black hair and brown eyes," I reminded him. "They both have the standard 'Staraptor partner Pokémon'." Ben wrinkled his nose at this.

"'Standard'?" He repeated. "Well, don't I feel special." I wrinkled my nose at him and he smiled.

"Staraptor are the standard partner Pokémon because they're the most useful to a ranger. They help us get from island to island easily. I was going to have a Staraptor as a partner Pokémon, but I was faced with a couple of problems that made it so that my Pokémon ran off before I could even bond properly with him." I kicked my legs, agitating the water with my movements. "If you ask any other ranger who has a Pokémon that isn't a Staraptor, they'll tell you how irritating it is for you to have to go out and find a Staraptor and capture it. It's much easier when your partner Pokémon can fly you around." I thought of Latias and let out a long sigh.

"Was I close to my Staraptor?" I blinked at him.

"Of course! Well, you didn't actually get to bond with him until after you and I saved him from the Pinchers, but he always was close by in case anything came up. I remember him interfering when a bug Pokémon tried to attack you. Your Staraptor is quite a fighter even though he's been trained to fly and carry passengers for all of his life." I lifted my arm in the air and immediately Ben's Staraptor flew over. I took my legs out of the water and waited for him. Knowing that my arm was too thin to support his weight, he roosted onto my knees.

"Starr!" He greeted. I gently patted his head before stroking his feathers.

"Look, it's Ben." I nodded over the brown haired boy beside me. The Staraptor fluffed his feathers and called warmly over to his partner. "Go ahead. If anything, Staraptor's just waiting for you to start working with him again." Hesitantly, Ben withdrew his legs from the water as I had and Staraptor leapt from where he had seated himself earlier. The bird Pokémon happily settled onto Ben's knee, obliviously unaware of the startled look on the boy's face. I chuckled at his surprise and re-submerged my legs into the shallows, humming with pleasure at the coolness of the water. I watched as Ben hesitantly reached a hand up and stroked the feathers around his Staraptor's face. The Pokémon waited quietly and patiently, as if he were aware of Ben's current dilemma.

"Pichu!" I looked up to see Ukulele Pichu sitting happily on the back of a cruising Wartortle. I laughed and quickly slid into the water. I swam over to them and patted the turtle Pokémon gently on the side.

"Having fun?" I asked. Pichu hummed happily and strummed his ukulele to a calm beat. I treaded water beside him, breathing evenly as I felt myself beginning to relax. Suddenly, something came up between my legs and I was suddenly lifted out of the water. "Whoa!" I clung onto the Milotic's neck, a rush of adrenaline racing through my veins. We were at least seven feet above the surface of the water. This Milotic was enormous. I took in the breathtaking view of the entire manor and patted the Pokémon's neck. "Thank you," I whispered. I glanced back down toward Ben and Staraptor, who were both looking at me with a mixture of surprise and fear. "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to go back down now." The Milotic rumbled softly at me before suddenly leaping into the air.

There was no time to think as the two of us plummeted back toward the lake. I could barely hear Ben's yell before the Milotic and I cut through the surface of the water like a knife and part the waters below. Quickly detaching myself, I swam desperately to the surface. The impact had knocked the breath out of me and I was out of oxygen. I felt something come up from underneath me again and I was lifted out of the water once again. "Summer!" I blinked blankly at my name, too focused on catching my breath to really turn and answer Ben. The Milotic settled into the water comfortably, making sure to keep my torso out of the water. I was seated in the curve of its body and it happily dozed in the middle of the lake.

I heard a faint splash and a few minutes later, Ben appeared in front of me, his eyes wide as he pulled me from Milotic. I opened my mouth to complain, but quickly shut it when I was pulled back into the water. The two of us headed to the shore where our clothes and towels were and I glared at him. "What was that for? The Milotic was just being playful?" I demanded.

"Excuse me? You could've been hurt!" He yelled. A spark of anger flickered within me.

"Well I wasn't, so it's okay!"

"Either way, you were in danger! I was getting you out of there so _next time_ you wouldn't get hurt again!"

"I don't need your protection!" I snapped, turning sharply on my heel, prepared to march away from him. His hand grabbed my wrist roughly and he turned me to face him again. "Ben—!" I opened my mouth to yell at him but froze when I realized how close the two of our faces were. The anger in his eyes died immediately when he also took notice of our positions. The two of us stared at each other, dripping wet and energized by our earlier anger. A mixed feeling of frustration, longing, and bitterness washed over me. "Ben?" I whispered quietly.

Slowly, a confused and horrified expression took over his face, and he let go of me. He snatched up his things and raced back toward the mansion, leaving me in the dust. His actions were like a knife to my heart. Pichu hopped onto the shore next to me, cocking his head to the side as he judged my expression. Taking a shaky breath, I gathered up my clothes and my towel. "Come on Pichu. Let's go back to Blue Eyes. I have a training to attend in a bit."

* * *

Training was hard, fast, and definitely a great stress reliever. I immediately forgot about Ben and my current mission as I mercilessly landed blow after blow onto the punching bag in front of me.

Mrs. Sarin explained that today was going to be a free training day and we would have at least two every week. She told me that we would have them on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but since today was the last day of the week, she decided that we should have a free training day before actually getting into the lessons. "I'm going to teach you the basics of karate," she told me. "I'm aware that your brother taught you some self-defense, but the basics are everything in terms of putting that self-defense to the best of its abilities."

I was faintly aware of her stare as I continued to punch and kick to my heart's content. I felt my skin bruising with each attack, but I forced myself to keep going until I was exhausted and overwhelmed by my endorphins. With each blow, I thought of all the things that had happened to me over the past year or so.

I had lost my boyfriend's memory to the ocean.

Nema had to become much more independent and started to make more dangerous technology in order to assist me in my missions.

The Ranger Union was attacked and destroyed.

That night with Bridges and his sidekick in the darkness of Sophian Forest.

The fact that Ben tries to protect me even though I'm more than capable of defending myself.

Alisha and her attitude.

The "Utopia" and their screwed up ideas on how to create a relationship between a human and a Pokémon.

The Pokémon of the garden and the lake who had to be cooped up in tiny, little artificial spaces.

The fact that I had to fake practically every emotion that I felt.

Before I even realized it, I had started to think of things that had happened in general in my life.

My father's death.

My loneliness when Zenith left to become a Pokémon champion.

The night that my brother returned home with a bullet lodged in his side.

The Grotle that had been agitated by Alisha.

Purple Eyes and his malevolent ways.

The Societa and how they had controlled Pokémon.

The day that Ben and I had tried to save Articuno from the Pinchers*.

_All. Of. Those. Fucking. Days_, I thought with each blow.

Finding out that Ben was in a relationship with Alisha.

Me flinching at every shadow ever since the "Bridges" incident.

How cold and distant Julian and Jamie seemed to be on the day that they told me Ben was missing.

The fact that I had to play kiss up every single time that Mr. Sarin or Mrs. Sarin was around. _Every. Fucking. Time._

The fact that I was putting myself into so much danger.

The fact that I couldn't get over Ben yet.

The fact that I always seemed to miss the mark.

The fact that I never seemed to care for myself.

The fact that—

I let out a frustrated scream as I punched the bag one last time and rested my head against it, feeling my sore knuckles throb from overuse. I panted heavily, pressing my forehead against the punching bag as I steadied myself. Endorphins washed over my every sense, and I was oddly satisfied with how my body seemed to ache with every passing second. I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh.

_Steady now, Crimson_, I told myself. _This is only the beginning_.

* * *

Ben's birthday was rapidly approaching. Tomorrow was the celebration and he would officially become nineteen once day broke. Yesterday, the tailors had dropped by with an entire wardrobe assembled for me, and Blue Eyes took the liberty to fold all of them away for me. The dress that I was going to wear tomorrow, however, was hung in the closet and was waiting for me to examine it.

Blue Eyes shut the door behind me and arched an eyebrow at me, wanting to receive a report on what had happened today. I let out a long sigh and headed into the bathroom, peeling the layers off of me as I went. When I had stripped myself down to my underclothes, I started up the bath and added extra bubbles. I was going to need the extra comfort of excessive bubbles tonight. I turned around to see Blue Eyes waiting setting down my nightclothes and a towel for me. "You really didn't have to," I told her.

"Please! You look exhausted." She ushered me into the tub and stood by as I sunk into the bubbles. I had to get used to being naked around Blue Eyes since I usually returned to my room in a death-like state. Although Mrs. Sarin didn't train me too vigorously, I often added in extra exercises for myself to avoid Ben and to keep my mind off of things. Nema called every day to give a quick report, but as Red Eyes had predicted, there was little to no news from the "Utopia".

Ambar would often call me in during these extra little "practices" and would talk to me nonstop about Pokémon. Not to mention, his father was present for most of these meetings and was more than eager to learn about Pokémon from my perspective. I gave them my basic background—the one that I had usually given to others. I had a full family with an older brother and two parents*. My parents owned a daycare center for Pokémon, where they bred and raised Pokémon for traveling Pokémon trainers. My brother had joined the police force and was assisting with the execution of the law.

The added energy used to not only discuss with Ambar and his father, but to patrol three to four times a day, practice for hours and hours with Mrs. Sarin, and on my extra training practices, had a heavy toll on my body. Often times, I would fall asleep in the tub just seconds after returning from a busy day. Blue Eyes took to cleaning me while I rested my body. In fact, it was almost as if she enjoyed dolling me up with scented lotion and massaging the kinks out of my back.

"Why exactly are you so eager to do all of this for me again?" I asked softly, letting out a small sigh of pleasure when her hands took to massaging my scalp softly.

"Well, believe it or not, I wanted to be a beautician when I was little," she replied, taking special care in making sure that the shampoo wasn't running into my eyes. "Why do you think my hair and appearance is always in such great condition? Besides, every girl needs to look pretty and all dolled up at times." She clicked her tongue when she rinsed out my hair. Over time, Blue Eyes had opened up to me and then I saw a much sassier side of her than I would've expected behind her willingness to take responsibility for something she hadn't done. "You're always running around like a boy trying to complete these dangerous missions and whatnot." She gently applied conditioner to my hair and began to soap a sponge in preparation for a quick scrub. Flushing, I glowered at the sponge in her hand. During bath time, this was definitely the part I disliked the most. "Come on, get up."

Just barely covered by bubbles, I rose out of the water with my dignity floating in shreds around me. "I'm still not used to being naked around other people," I muttered she gently soaped up my arms. Blue Eyes snorted softly at this.

"That's what you say every time," she reminded me, running the sponge down my back. "Besides, it's not like this is awkward for me. I've helped kids wash up so many times…" When I raised an eyebrow at her, she let out a soft sigh and explained. "I was at an orphanage when I was kid. My parents died in some sort of accident and I eventually took care of all the kids younger than me. I usually was in charge of washing up the little girls and the younger boys, so I'm used to being around naked people." She paused and handed me the sponge so I could soap up my own legs. "I had a dream all the way up until I was thirteen about becoming a beautician when I grew up or owning my own spa. Soon enough, I realized that my dreams were far from realistic and I just gave up on them." She shrugged before sliding the glass door shut. I turned on the showerhead and felt the water wash over my body. "That's when I joined the Pinchers."

I said nothing as she told her story and busied myself with cleaning up. After I had stepped out of the shower and worked to dry my body, Blue Eyes was ready and began to dry my hair with a towel. "You know what, Blue Eyes?" She glanced at me before quickly returning her eyes to my hair. "After this is all done…why don't I pay for the tuition for you to train under a spa-person?" I suggested. She let out an amused snort and shook her head.

"Please. I'm done with dreams," she replied coolly, stepping back to let me pull on my t-shirt before continuing to dry my hair.

"Blue Eyes, I'm serious. I'm paying for Nema's tuition and I'm more than happy to pay for yours too. You've been a great help to me."

"Well…"

"Come on. You spend your time making sure that I'm presentable, risking your safety by going in as a spy, and keeping this mission a secret. If anything, I owe you a lot. Just let me help you take the first steps in becoming a professional beautician…" I turned to look her in the eye. "And you can do the rest from there."

"Crimson…"

"Please."

"Alright." She smiled at me, and I grinned when I noticed a glimmer of hope and joy dancing in her eyes. "Now go to bed! You're going to be exhausted tomorrow if you don't get enough sleep today. You don't want to look horrible for Ben's birthday, do you?"

* * *

"And…there." Blue Eyes gave me a satisfied grin before stepping back and setting the blow-drier onto the countertop. "Come over here." She pulled me front of a full length mirror and I nearly gaped at the sight before me.

A girl stood in front of me with a red, two piece dress and golden sandals. I reached up and gently brushed my hand against my hair, marveling at the girl in the mirror repeating my actions. My hair, which usually was just a wild array of colors, had been arranged so that gold and caramel highlights from the sun stood out. Blue Eyes had applied a small amount of mascara to my eyelashes and painted my lips with a clear gloss. "Natural looks the best!" She had insisted. "Even if I wear eye shadow, I think natural fits you to a T."

The dress itself was a rather seductive and alluring piece. Blue Eyes had whistled appreciatively when she saw the dress for the first time. "Someone's going to be ogled tonight," she had teased playfully. It was a shade darker than blood and consisted of two pieces: a top and a skirt. The top had short sleeves and ended just inches below my breasts. On the sleeves, two large diamond shapes were cut out so that my shoulder was mostly exposed. At the very hem of both sleeves, five or six thin ribbons flowed down past my elbows. The top had a v-necked collar and wasn't cut very deeply. It was decorated around the collar with gold thread and fit snugly around my chest.

The skirt was long, flowing, and floor length. It rested firmly on my hips and had gold designs stitched onto it. A slit ran up to my mid thigh to allow me to move much easier, but it did reveal a good portion of my legs when I walked. What embarrassed me the most of such an erotic and seductive dress was that my stomach was exposed. I stared at the mirror and recalled my conversation with Mrs. Sarin the night that the dress had been delivered.

"_Are you sure this isn't…" I hesitated with the word. "Too…skimpy? I'm revealing a lot of skin…" Mrs. Sarin snorted at my words._

"_Please, Summer. Alisha and all women from where we come from dress like this to parties. That is, unless they're over the age of forty and prefer a much more respectable and simple design to their dresses. And besides," she added while glancing at the dress spread out on my bed, "you'll look absolutely amazing in it." Seeing my conflicted expression, she waved at me as if I were a child hesitating to choose a chocolate bar when her mother already 'okay-ed' it. "Summer, don't be afraid of others judging you in that dress. If anything, they won't be able to take their eyes off you."_

"Crimson, turn to face me." I obeyed and rapid clicks of a camera started going off.

"B-B-Blue Eyes!" I stammered, embarrassed. She rolled her eyes but lowered the camera.

"Nema wants to see you in this dress," she told me. "I'm merely doing her a favor and you'll be doing one for her too if you can just stand still and let me take some more pictures." Begrudgingly, I did as she told me and allowed her to take even more pictures of me. "Oh yeah, and have you decided where you'll be putting the mike?"

"I was thinking about sewing it into the collar of the dress. After all, it's not too low." I glanced at my top.

"Then take it off quickly! I'll sew it in." Blue Eyes scowled as I hurried to take off the top. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Now I'll have to rearrange your hair…" she groaned while she quickly busied herself with sewing a patch onto the inside of the top. "Put your dog tags into the box," she told me as I peeled the mike off of the back of my dog tag. "We don't want those bouncing around while you dance tonight. They'll be safe here with me."

"What? You're not attending?" Blue Eyes shook her head.

"There are orders that only the male servants can attend so that none of the guests think about groping the women," she replied dryly, handing me back my top and rushing to get the blow-drier again. "Don't worry. He's got a camera too, so Nema won't be missing out on your dancing." I groaned and she gave me a smirk as she flicked on the blow-drier and proceeded to style my hair again. "Oh, do you have a necklace to wear? Your neck seems awfully bare…"

"I was never one for jewelry," I replied, shaking my head "no". There was a knock on the door and Blue Eyes quickly set down the blow-drier to answer it. A servant stood at the doorway and bowed slightly in greeting before walking into the room.

"Master Ambar was wondering if you had any jewelry to wear to the ball," he said. When I shook my head, he bowed again and offered me a long, velvet covered box. "He sends this gift in hopes that you wear it tonight." I blinked at it before looking back at the servant.

"I'm not sure…" I trailed off, looking at Blue Eyes helplessly.

"Please. Master Ambar insists," the servant pressed. Uneasily, I took the box from him and he bowed his head one more time. "I will tell him that you have received the gift. Master Ambar will see you at the ball in an hour." He quickly headed out the door and Blue Eyes rushed over to me the second that the door closed behind him.

"What is it? Open it!"

* * *

"You look amazing," Ambar whispered to me as he escorted me down the spiral staircase. The Sarin family was extremely focused on traditions—regardless of which regions they came from. They insisted on having everyone pair up and walking down the stairs together. Alisha undoubtedly claimed Ben and Ambar was left to pair up with me as we were the only other pair of young adults left. However, it didn't seem like he was exactly against it. Shanti and Marut were left unpaired as how they wouldn't be dancing for too long and would be escorted back to their rooms before the night grew too old.

"Thank you," I whispered back. His eyes lingered on the necklace on my neck.

"Do you like it?" I lowered my head to study the golden gift. It was a fairly simple necklace that wrapped around my neck and was decorated with a single star.

"Yes. It's not flashy, but its not exactly bland either." I fingered the star and looked up to see Ambar looking down at me warmly. I flushed slightly at his expression.

"That's wonderful," he whispered as he led me into the ballroom. The room, which had been full of chatter and liveliness, quickly faded away to a hushed whisper. I felt my cheeks heat up as every stare seemed to be directed in our direction. Smirking, Ambar led me toward the center of the ballroom, where people were waltzing gracefully. Immediately, Mr. Sarin and Mrs. Sarin appeared before us.

"You look amazing," she gushed, reaching out her arms and giving me a quick hug. "And besides, your outfit is much more mature and less revealing than the other dresses I see." She shot a dirty look at a group of girls who had their skirts hanging low on their hips and the collars of their tops cut extremely low. Ambar chuckled at his mom's antics and greeted his father.

"My wife is right," Mr. Sarin agreed, giving me a smile. "You do look amazing."

"Father, may I suggest a change in music? Waltzes are more preferred by adults, but as _teenagers_," he flashed a quick smile to me, "I believe that a much more exiting number would be much appreciated. I'm sure Ben would agree with me." Mr. Sarin blinked at his son's words and studied the ballroom with a calculating eye.

"Hmm…you are right about that," he murmured. An amused look appeared in his eye. "Even the adults waltzing look as if they're about to fall asleep. I'll go tell the musicians to stop immediately. Thank god I decided to install stereo systems in here." He and his wife rushed off and a couple quickly replaced them.

"Hello, I am Dimitri Shlavok and this is my wife, Haley," the man said. "We're from the 'Swellow Trading & Co'. Your mansion is absolutely amazing."

"Thank you," Ambar replied smoothly. Interested, I watched Ambar's character change from playful and persuasive to a complete businessman demeanor. "Father, mother, and I personally approved the designs for each of the rooms."

"And may I ask who this beautiful young lady is?" Dimitri nodded at me.

"This is Summer Arithorne," Ambar told him. I winced inwardly when he mispronounced my name. _Air-ith-orne_, I thought mentally. _Not Are-i-thorne_. However, I held back from correcting him. "She is accompanying me tonight." _Accompanying? I sound like a money-hungry whore._ I was aware that Ambar was trying to introduce me in the most formal way possible, but it was just irritating me more with each passing second. _I can introduce myself, thank you! And I may be accompanying you, but I am also your partner for the night._ As payback, I quietly slipped my arm out of his and he turned to me with a surprised look on his face.

"I apologize, but I am a bit thirsty," I told him calmly.

"Then I will come with you." Immediately, Ambar made a move to leave.

"No, I insist that you stay to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Shalovk." I bowed respectfully to them. "Do not let me get in the way of your conversations." I walked away and was pleased that no footsteps followed after me. _One point for Crimson_, I thought smugly, making my way over to the drinks. I wasn't going to risk having him catch me somewhere else when I had blatantly told him that I was going to get a drink. I eyed the lemonade warily and took a water bottle instead. Although I doubted that anyone would drug the drinks at such a prestigious and rich party, I wasn't going to take any risks. Besides, water was healthier anyway.

The music quickly changed from slow and melodic to fast, rhythmic, and energetic. If anything, it made me want to dance. I quickly set down my water bottle and headed out onto the dance floor, ignoring the startled looks that other people gave me when I started dancing alone. Shanti headed toward me and the two of us danced together, twirling each other and dancing as we pleased to the beat of the music.

I felt my hips take over and let myself go, allowing the music to wash over every sense I had. I felt a hand on my shoulder and whipped around to see Ambar watching me with dark eyes. Somehow the music and the energy in the room made me feel invincible. I grabbed both of his hands and began to dance, smiling at him when he quickly fell in place with my steps. Before long, bodies began to fill the spaces around us as others started to dance along with the two of us. A dark haired man stole me away from Ambar with an apologetic smirk to him before turning his attention to me.

His dark eyes glittered at me as a sly grin covered his face. He brushed his face against mine as he spun me and dipped me. "Hello, Belle," he whispered. "You dance like a star." I smirked at him and saw his gaze darken. He turned me so that my arms were crossed in front of me and my back was to him. He lowered his head and breathed hotly onto my shoulder. I raked my eyes down arms and noticed a white powder decorating the very ends of his sleeves. Brushing it off, I swayed in his arms for a bit before untangling myself. His eyes narrowed when someone else snatched me from in front of him, but I was thankful for my savior. That man had been getting too touchy for my liking.

The person who was dancing with me now was much more of a grabber than the last guy. I quickly darted away from his hands, reminding myself that despite the fact that this was supposed to be a birthday party for Ben, older people were invited. Ambar found me again and wrapped an arm around my waist to prevent me from being stolen again. He pulled me flush to his body, but at one point I just became too uncomfortable and sweaty and hot and I pulled myself away—

I tried to break away from the mass of dancing people, but two hands that rested on my hips stopped me. I turned around, ready to give whoever was holding onto me a piece of my mind, but the words died in my mouth when I recognized who was holding onto me. Ben smirked, a dark look in his eyes. Forgetting my earlier need for refreshments or fresh air or whatever—I allowed myself to be led back into the crowd of dancing people. He didn't drag me to the center like Ambar or the earlier two guys did, but he did pull me in far enough so that we weren't dancing out on the very edges of the crowd. "Enjoying yourself?" He breathed against my skin. My eyes nearly rolled back into my head at how close I was to him at this point.

He had his hand pressed to the small of my back, holding me very closely to his body. Our noses brushed often and our faces were pressed up against each other. I could feel the sweat of his brow against mine and surprisingly, I wasn't disgusted. Instead, I relished the smell of his skin and the feel of his body against mine. I wrapped my arms around my neck—_when have I gotten so assertive?_ The question popped up and was lost in a second when I lifted my eyes to meet Ben's again. They were dark, possessive, and electric. I couldn't tear my eyes away. Remembering that he had asked me a question, I leaned forward to whisper against his ear; "I am now."

He shivered at my breath and brushed his nose against mine. I almost died at how close our mouths were. "Crimson—"

"_Yesss_," I hissed when he said my name. I couldn't fight it any longer. I grabbed his face and tilted it down so I could press my lips against his. He opened his mouth immediately, hungry, possessive, and desperate.

"Crimson," he breathed. I saw the slightly glazed look in his eyes and a warning alarm went off in my head. Immediately, all the heat and desire that had been pooling at the pit of my stomach disappeared.

"Ben!" My suspicions had been correct. That glassiness wasn't natural. The lemonade had been spiked. I stopped swaying my hips immediately and he glowered at me.

"Why'd you stop?" He slurred softly in his speech. Completely sober, I ran my hands through his face, studying his expression worriedly. This was bad. This was reeaally bad. I dragged him out of the crowd and searched the room hurriedly. _Oh, where was Red Eyes when you need him?_ I thought desperately. Ben nuzzled my exposed shoulder happily, breathing hotly against my skin. I spotted a blonde and red head of hair by the refreshments and rushed over to him, pulling Ben along with me.

"R—!" I quickly stopped myself and corrected myself with his undercover name. "Lewis!" The servant looked up immediately, eyebrows furrowing in a mixture of concern, confusion, and…was that anger that I saw?

"Miss Summer?" _Oh right_, I thought to myself, _we promised to call each other by our formal names in public._

"I think the lemonade was spiked." I quickly handed him Ben. "Take Ben into his room and make sure that he doesn't leave it. I'm going to tell Mr. and Mrs. Sarin immediately about the drinks. Hopefully they'll be sober enough to call the party off. Tell Heather to bring down my utility belt." Red Eyes' eyes narrowed in objection for a second, but he nodded and proceeded to drag Ben out of the ballroom.

Several hands reach out to grab me as I passed and I dodged each blindly groping hand. One of them, however, I recognized and I quickly grabbed it and pulled its owner out of the crowd. "Ambar!" His eyes, similar to Ben's, was also slightly glazed. A flicker of anger went through me. "_Ambar Sarin!_" Startled, he quickly snapped to attention. "The lemonade was spiked. We have to stop the party before everyone gets too influenced by the drinks." He furrowed his eyebrows at me as if he couldn't understand what I was saying at first. "_Ambar Sarin, if you do not sober up this instant, your father's company will be in danger!_" I yelled the first thing that came into my head. Almost immediately, reasons popped up in my head. They could be sued for the drinks being spiked unless we could find a culprit. If anyone got injured because of this party, they could be sued. Not to mention, date rape wasn't uncommon when drugs were involved.

Ambar quickly snapped to attention at my words. "Get all the servants to close all the doors to the ballroom so nobody can get out," he grit to me before rushing off. I turned around and began to look for people dressed in black and white uniforms.

"Guard the doors and windows!" I told them. "Someone spiked the drinks." When they failed to react, I narrowed my eyes. "It's an order from Ambar Sarin!" At the name of their master's son and successor, the servants raced to their positions. There was a loud clicking sound and the music was suddenly cut off.

"Testing, testing…" The faint murmur over the speakers that was quickly drowned out by outraged cries from the dancers. They demanded to have the music back, but Mr. Sarin's powerful voice quickly made everyone stop talking. "The party is finished! Now, you may not be aware, but the lemonade has been spiked. However, it cannot be from any of our staff members since my wife and I had personally sampled the drink earlier on in the evening." I quickly over to where Mr. and Mrs. Sarin where, remembering the man who had white dust on his sleeves. "I—what?" I whispered urgently in his ear and he nodded to me. "Alright everyone, please stay calm for a bit." Ambar and I raced toward the crowd.

"Black hair, dark eyes, stubble, dark shirt, white powder on his sleeves," I told him before diving into the crowd. I weaved in between people and searched the crowd for the face. When I spotted him, I grabbed him by the arm and pulled hard. His eyes flickered in shock when he recognized me and he quickly planted his feet down. Growling, I twisted his arm around his back and pushed him forward. The two of us burst out of the crowd and I lost my grip on him. He leapt to his feet and raced toward the door, a steely look in his eyes when three servants lined up defensively in front of it.

I raced after him, cursing my skirt as it made moving much more difficult. Suddenly, the man's feet flew out from underneath him and he landed hard on his stomach. Within seconds, Mrs. Sarin had her knees digging into his back and two other servants were there in seconds, helping her hold him down. "That's the man," I told her, pointing at his sleeves. "There's powder on his sleeves. I bet there's a container somewhere in the trash cans with his fingerprints on it."

"Quite the policewoman, are you?" He spat, sneering. "Are you planning on keeping us here for a week until we finally get the results?"

"No need," I replied, grinning at Blue Eyes when she handed me my utility belt. I took an ink pad out of a container, two sheets of paper, a miniature spray bottle, and a scanning pad. I collected a finger print from him and from a small plastic container that one of the servants had found. Placing this on the scanning pad, I pulled a fake cellphone and called up Nema with my Stealth Communicator.

"Sergeant Blue, this is Summer. Two finger prints are headed your way and I want you to confirm them as a match."

"Got'em, Crusader. Gimme two minutes." I turned to Ambar, who was eyeing all of the technology and gadgets in front of me curiously.

"My brother was a cop, remember? Anyway, do you guys have handcuffs?"

"Why would we have handcuffs? We have rope," Ambar told me.

"Get me some rope then." He took off and Nema's voice returned back through the speakers.

"Match." I turned away from the cellphone.

"Match," I repeated. "Send a copy the printer address." I turned to Mr. Sarin. "Printer address?" He quickly told me and I relayed the information to Nema. "Heather, go to the study and pick up the copy that Sergeant Blue sent over." Blue Eyes disappeared and Ambar quickly returned with rope.

I wrapped the rope around the pinned man's wrist three times and then tied it firmly with a knot. Blue Eyes returned, breathless as she held out the sheet of paper. Mrs. Sarin looked over it and confirmed Nema's match.

"It's a match."

* * *

Third Person – Oblivion

**Almost—**Instinct lifted his leg and kicked hard against the wall. Another shard shattered off of the black room and the dark figure threw back his head, a delighted cry escaping from his lips. **Yes!**

_**We'll be able to contact Ben from time to time now,**_ Reason breathed, looking relieved. Instinct fist pumped and leapt onto the furniture that they had stacked on top of each other. **BEN! **He yelled. **BEEEEEENNNNN!**

_What? Who is that?_ Instinct and Reason shared a startled look.

**YES! YES YES YES YES YES!**

_**Ben, it's us! Reason and Instinct!**_

_Who?_

**Come on kiddo! You haven't forgotten us!**

_I don't understand…I'm so tired…I'll go to sleep…_

_**The drugs are making him exhausted,**_ Reason commented, looking worried.

**Yeah, but the drugs also weakened this wall enough so I could kick a piece of it off. **Instinct grinned, leaning tiredly against the wall after kicking at it for so long. **Don't worry Ben. We're coming for ya.**

* * *

A/N: REASON AND INSTINCT BSAOISDALSKDJAOIJGL!

Ahaha, more angsty stuff between Ben and Crimson. I've been roaming around with a crapload of ideas in my head, but I haven't decided how they're actually going to turn out. I'm estimating that this story will end at around...20 chapters? Yeah, that sounds reasonable.

I was actually a bit startled by how I wrote the birthday celebration. I hadn't planned most of it and it just all came out...and I'm feeling a bit confused right now. Either way, I didn't really feel like writing this from Ben's PoV, but I think the next chapter will probably feature him and a couple of other characters' PoVs as well.

*"The day that Ben and I tried to save Articuno" If you guys remember, Crimson got really angry because she couldn't stop slipping on ice and Ben couldn't stop laughing at her.

*"Full family with an older brother and two parents" If you guys go back to the chapter where Zenith has a guest appearance, Crimson talks about how she always tells everyone that she has two parents although her dad's dead.

If any of you guys were confused by Crimson's actions in this chapter, Crimson actually has changed a bit since Ben had been sent off to another region. See if you guys can tell. If you can't, I'm sorry for the confusion and I'll see if I can make her change a little more obvious (without being too...out there, I suppose).

Crimson = Cop? That sounds awesome! Nema = forensic scientist? Seems perfect for the job.

R&R guys!


	16. Chapter 15

DANANANANANANA UNFORTUNATELY THIS STORY IS COMING TO AN END SOON AND I FEEL RATHER UPSET ABOUT IT BUT HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!~!

...I'm usually a Grammar Nazi, so I'm not sure why I'm not going berserk about the sentence overhead. ...Oh well!

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!

* * *

"You should get some sleep soon, Crimson," Blue Eyes told me before slipping into her quarters. "You have to get ready for tomorrow."

"Blue Eyes…" She turned at her name. "Are you…in a relationship with Red Eyes?"

"What?" She shot me a startled look. At her reaction, I felt a small weight being lifted off my shoulders. "What makes you think that?"

"Well…you guys are always together…" Blue Eyes snorted at this.

"Crimson, Red Eyes is my _brother_." I gaped at her and her blue eyes twinkled with amusement at me. "I thought it was pretty obvious with how we treat each other and how we both love dying our hair." She tugged on her bangs. "Why? Did he confess to you?" She teased. I fell silent and a worried look filled her eyes. "Did he?" Hesitating I nodded and her eyes flew open with disbelief. "That idiot!"

_Red Eyes had raced into my room after all of the confusion was cleared. I was startled at his sudden entrance and how determined he looked. "Red Eyes?"_

"_Crimson. I don't know why you're hurting yourself, but you really have to stop!"_

"_Hurting myself?" I spluttered. "How am I hurting myself?" Red Eyes grabbed my arms and stared at me with his blazing eyes._

"_You hurt yourself every time you get too close to Ben," he growled. "You were careless tonight. Can't you see that being with him when he can't even remember you is killing you slowly?"_

"_Red Eyes, you're being ridiculous. And why are you even saying all of this?"_

"_Because I'm done with seeing you hurt yourself!"_

"_Red Eyes, I'm not hurting myself!"_

"_You are!"_

"_Then how do you know?"_

"_Because I've always been watching you!" Both of us froze as the words left his mouth._

"_Red…Eyes?" He dropped his head._

"_I've always been watching you," he repeated. Without another sound, he turned on his heel and left me standing alone in my bedroom, confused and shocked._

"I really don't know what to do," I whispered, staring out at the garden again. Blue Eyes watched me worriedly.

"Crimson…"

* * *

"From what I've heard, they've managed to rake in a couple hundred more Pokémon. I've called Professor Hastings and told him to send rangers to target the shelters and the storage areas." Nema told me over the communicators.

"That's great," I told her.

"Crimson…are you okay?"

"I…I can't help but feel I'm not really doing anything. I mean, I'm spending my days training but that's about it. I'm sitting around while you get everything ready for the attack." I picked at the food in front of me. This morning I had sent Blue Eyes down to get me breakfast because I woke up feeling depressed and absolutely miserable. "I feel useless."

"Crimson…I really don't know what to say. You were the reason that we even got to put all these cameras up and everything. You're managing to get everyone to fall in love with you while buying us some extra time. You're the reason why we can even get this far." I frowned and opened my mouth to say something, but I heard footsteps approaching my door.

"Someone's coming. I'll call you later." I quickly clicked off my stealth communicator and took a bite of my food just as the door opened. Ambar poked his head in, eyes sparkling.

"Hey Miss Policewoman," he greeted me, sitting down at my bedside. "Feeling okay?"

"Just tired." I shrugged. "Besides, when are you going to stop calling me that? It's been weeks." He chuckled and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"You'll be 'Miss Policewoman' to me for as long as I see fit," he replied.

"Unreasonable," I accused while taking another bite of food. His dark eyes twinkled at me before he launched into our usual "philosophy and Pokémon" discussions. As I swallowed another bite of food, I felt a twinge of pain. _Huh? Eh, it's probably just stress. _ Brushing it off quickly, I laughed at one of Ambar's jokes and felt my stomach heave. I made a choking sound and reached blindly for the trashcan that stood by my bedside. I felt Ambar's broad hand stroke my back in comforting circles, but his voice was filled with concern.

"Summer? Hey Summer, you okay?" Before I knew it, everything went white. Pain filled my entire body and I curled up, choking on a mixture of saliva and vomit. Panic began to fill Ambar's voice. "Summer? Oh god!" My eyes rolled up into the back of my head and I felt myself begin to shake violently. _It hurts! It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts!_ I was vaguely aware of Ambar yelling frantically for help before my ears filled up and everything around me was quiet.

* * *

Third Person – Red Eye's PoV

A blonde haired man with red highlights swayed from side to side on his feet, standing amongst the crowd of servants. Up ahead, the head butlers, maids, and the housekeepers stood at the front of the room and were giving announcements. The blonde man kicked at the ground, barely paying attention to the news that everyone was giving. After all, it was usually of how they received some more shipments of Pokéballs and how more Pokémon were going under their control. "…officially poisoned!" Cheers went up around him and his head lifted up in alarm. Poisoned? Who?

"Roger!" He hissed to the man standing next to him. "Wait, who was poisoned?"

"You didn't hear, Lewis?" _Oh right,_ the blonde man thought, _nobody in the organization really knows my name. Well, I guess it's good that all this stuff is confidential_. He shuffled a bit and kicked at the ground again. _Red Eyes is a rather unforgettable name…_ Roger's eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. "The ranger girl is going to be poisoned!" Red Eyes' eyes flew open in horror. _Crimson?!_

"This meeting is adjourned!" One of the leaders called from the front of the room. Red Eyes lifted his head and searched the crowd, partially relieved when Blue Eyes quickly pushed people aside to reach him.

"Did you hear that?" He hissed to her. She rolled her eyes at him, narrowing them irritably.

"No, stupid. I didn't hear about the ranger girl who was going to be poisoned," she whispered back. "But what I'm more interested in is _when_ she'll be poisoned." The two of them followed the flood of servants down the spiral staircase and the people in front of them stopped. Blue Eyes scowled at the back of their heads. "What's going on now?" She called to the front.

"Sounds like someone is calling for help," one of the people ahead remarked. Immediately, the crowd surged forward and Red Eyes nearly stumbled from the sudden movement. The stream of people split into two as some servants returned to their positions in the kitchen and the others returned to their duties. Red Eyes and a couple of others, however, stopped on the second floor. The eldest son of the Sarin family, Ambar, was screaming at the top of his lungs from where he stood in front of Crimson's room. When his eyes focused on them, he yelled at them.

Red Eyes felt a tug on his sleeve and turned to see Blue Eyes standing behind him with furrowed eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but was quickly cut off by Ambar. "Hurry! Summer's been poisoned!" Immediately, the girl's face drained and Red Eyes saw his horror being reflected in her eyes. Ambar glared at them angrily. "If you don't do anything for her right now," he threatened, "_Then I will personally fire all of you!_" Immediately, two servants called out to say that they were going to report to the masters of the house and left Blue Eyes and Red Eyes standing alone in the hallway. Blue Eyes' eyes flashed angrily as she raced forward, Red Eyes close on her heels as the two of them rushed through the door and into Summer's bedroom.

The ranger was curled up on her bed, frothing at the mouth as she tossed wildly from side to side. Blue Eyes raced to the balcony and yelled, "Alabastor!" She turned around to face Red Eyes. "Hold her down and gag her!" She yelled. "She'll bite off her tongue otherwise!" Red Eyes grabbed ahold of one of the sheets and tore it apart. He crumpled the fabric and shoved it in the ranger's mouth, hoping that it would be enough to stop her from biting her tongue off. Then he climbed atop of her and pinned her arms above her head and did his best to keep her from kicking. Blue Eyes returned with a Ditto and a kit in her hands. "Alabastor, chew on that food and tell me what Pokémon's poison that is!"

The Ditto leapt onto the plate of food and transformed in seconds. A Seviper stared back at them, hissing and bearing its fangs. Blue Eyes grabbed it roughly around the head and jabbed its fangs into a small milking container. After several drops of poison, she released the Seviper and it quickly returned back to being a Ditto. "Rapidash!" Blue Eyes screamed and the Ditto transformed again before being injected with the poison. "You there!" Red Eyes craned his head to see that Blue Eyes was addressing Ambar, who was watching with horrified eyes. "Tear another strip of fabric for her! She's choking on that one now." Red Eyes glanced down and saw that Crimson was indeed choking on the fabric in her mouth. It had probably soaked up a large amount of her saliva and was now weighing down on her throat.

"I'm sorry, Alabastor," Red Eyes heard Blue Eyes say before the Rapidash let out a small cry of pain. After what felt like hours, she appeared by his side in seconds with a syringe filled with blood and quickly injected it into one of the large blue veins in the crook of Crimson's elbow.

"Is it going to work?" He demanded.

"I don't know!" Blue Eyes yelled back. "It may not be diluted enough. It's best to wait some time for it to work, but she doesn't have that time on her side!" Crimson thrashed for several moments, almost fighting off Red Eyes with her flailing. _Damn,_ he thought to himself as he struggled to keep her down. _She's really been training hard._ Blue Eyes left his side for a second and reappeared with a second syringe of blood. "We'll keep in injecting her from time to time. We'll fight the poison bit by bit as Alabaster's body produces even more antibodies to fight off the poison."

After about two more shots, Crimson stopped flailing wildly, but Blue Eyes injected her one last time with the Rapidash blood before wiping her hands and taking the cloth out of the ranger's mouth. "Alright, it seems like she calmed down." Red Eyes climbed gently off of Crimson, making sure that he wasn't disturbing her in the process. "I better report to Master Sarin immediately—"

"That won't be necessary." Startled the two servants looked up to see the head of the family walking in, followed closely by his wife. His dark gaze traveled sorrowfully over the ranger's form. "Oh Summer…"

"Heather, why don't you and I get her into cleaner and more comfortable clothes?" Mrs. Sarin suggested. "I can take her to the bathroom and change her while you change the sheets."

"Actually, Mistress Sarin, I'm sure Summer would be much more comfortable with me changing her clothes," Blue Eyes interjected. Red Eyes inconspicuously raised an eyebrow at this. _Is that so?_ She shot him a dirty look and proceeded to explain for Mr. and Mrs. Sarin. "You see, Summer usually is exhausted whenever she comes back to her room and usually is asleep halfway through her baths. I usually have to dry her up and wake her up enough so that I can at least take her to bed."

"Well then, shall I get fresh sheets?" Mrs. Sarin's eyebrows furrowed in a mixture of concern and confusion.

"Please, if you have time to spare." Blue Eyes bowed lowly and Ambar stepped forward to pick up Crimson. Red Eyes tried his best not to glare at the boy as he carried her into the bathroom after Blue Eyes.

"You, what is your name?" Red Eyes realized he was being addressed and quickly bowed before responding.

"Lewis, sir."

"Lewis. Will you please explain what had happened?"

"Yes. All the servants had gone up to their quarters for a meeting regarding shipments and the freshness of the food of the manor. Also, we had to discuss more efficient ways to clean and work without getting in the way of the masters of the house," Red Eyes lied through his teeth. "As Heather and I were heading down the staircase after the meeting was adjourned, we heard Young Master Ambar crying out for help and several servants raced to alert you. The others, aware that too many people would cause a lot of chaos and havoc, decided to return to their posts while Heather and I tended to the ranger." He glanced behind him and saw that the Rapidash was gone with only a small smear of blood on the carpet. Quickly, he stepped onto the stain and smiled reassuringly at Mr. Sarin. "From what I know, Heather has some background with plants and is very talented when it comes to producing antidotes for poison. She immediately began to work on the ranger, and we are sure that the ranger will recover soon."

Ambar stepped out of the bathroom and Blue Eyes reached into the drawers to grab some new changes of clothing. He stayed outside of the closed door until Blue Eyes called for him again, and he reentered in order to carry Crimson to the sofa in her room. Blue Eyes gave Red Eyes a very subtle nod in order to tell him that Ambar was told to hold his tongue. "Father, please do not worry about this situation. I was present during these servants' procedure and I was astounded by how efficient and quick they were to respond to the situation." Mr. Sarin nodded and his wife rushed into the room with new blankets and sheets piled high. "Mother! Why don't you go to your practices with Ben? I'm sure that these servants would be more than capable of taking on these duties." _Oh hell, I do not have time for this_, Red Eyes growled inwardly but kept his mouth shut.

"Well…" Seeing Mrs. Sarin's hesitance, Red Eyes spoke up.

"Mistress Sarin, Young Master Ambar is more than correct. We are more than capable of taking on these duties in your place. Please, attend to your trainings with Young Master Ben while we take care of the ranger."

"Oh alright…" Mrs. Sarin trailed off as her husband gently began to usher her out of the door. "Please tell me if anything else were to happen."

"Of course, Mistress." Blue Eyes bowed lowly and held her position until the door closed. Ambar turned on the two of us with a blazing look in his eyes.

"Alright you two, I want you to explain, and I want you to explain well."

* * *

First Person – Ambar's PoV

I watched as Summer slept, eyelashes fluttering softly in her sleep. How this girl amazed me beyond belief—she was fiery and independent in the forest with the Grotle, gentle and loving toward my younger sister and brother, charming and witty in our philosophical discussions, and was just overall—amazing. She handled Pokémon with ease and they seemed willing to obey her every wish. She was athletic, well-bodied, and active. She moved with ease in water and seemed to have endless bouts of energy. I always remembered how determined and focused her eyes were whenever she sparred with my mother.

Even as she was poisoned—she fought so furiously that the servant boy Lewis had a hard time holding her down. Her body was amazingly sensitive to the poison and seemed extremely set on fighting it out. I gently stroked her cheek and froze when her eyebrows furrowed her sleep. She let out a small hum before her face relaxed and her expression returned to being angelic and tranquil. Summer was amazingly beautiful and seductive when she danced and never failed to astound me with how quickly she learned things. It was a joy to watch her become more and more assertive with her steps and with her actions. Not to mention, it was ridiculously satisfying whenever I could snatch her away from the stranger she was dancing with and see the irritation on her face. I had never been so bewitched by a girl before.

Lewis and Heather—the two servants who tended to Summer when she was poisoned—seemed to be very close to one another. Heather explained that Summer owned the Ditto named Alabaster and was extremely protective of it. She explained that the brunette was very hesitant in revealing its presence to others because of how much she treasured the Pokémon. "Over time, Miss Summer began to trust me and eventually placed me in charge of making sure that her Pokémon was not found. You must never reveal the presence of her Ditto to anyone else." Her blue eyes had flashed desperately. "Miss Summer will be horrified and absolutely disgraced if anyone were to tell others about her beloved Pokémon."

"Why is she so protective of her Ditto?" I had asked. Heather seemed hesitant before answering my question.

"Miss Summer…she's never really explained why, but I supposed it there was something that had happened to the Ditto that made her so protective of it." Her blue eyes had widened desperately. "Please don't tell anyone—not even Miss Summer herself! She'd be horrified if anyone knew. She would hate me forever…" Her blue eyes began to fill with tears and I quickly assured her that I wouldn't tell anyone about the Ditto.

Summer let out a small moan and I quickly withdrew my hand, startled. Her eyebrows furrowed once again, and she let out a whisper, so softly that I had to lean in to hear what she had said. "_Ben_." At my friend's name, I froze. Was she in love with him? Why else would she call out his name? I straightened up and felt a wave of bitterness wash over me. Whether Ben was to be my friend or not, I would not give her Summer. _She is the only girl who I've found to be worth my time and attention_, I thought furiously._ She's the first girl that's managed to dazzle and bewitch me like so. I'll never let him have her—Ben, this girl will be mine._

Leaning down, I brushed my lips gently to hers and lifted my head so that my mouth was by her ear. "Summer…you will be mine."

* * *

Third Person – Red Eyes' PoV

The red eyed man did his best to hold in his laughter and amusement as Blue Eyes told Ambar about how protective Crimson was of her Ditto. In fact, he himself hadn't been aware that the ranger had even brought a Pokémon besides Ukulele Pichu along. (Ukulele Pichu, it seems was going around so often playing his ukulele that often times he retired in the garden with the grass Pokémon rather than staying in Crimson's room.) _She's such a good actor_, Red Eyes thought smugly to himself as Blue Eyes continued on with her sorrowful tale of Crimson's protectiveness. She had even made herself tear up in order to seem much more realistic. If Red Eyes hadn't grown up with her, he would've been easily tricked by how realistic her acting was. _Go little sis_, he thought to himself.

Red Eyes knew that Ambar was, by far, a difficult person to persuade and convince. After doing several background checks, he realized that the boy was in fact, so good at reading people and seeing through lies that it was very difficult to convince him of anything but the truth. Not to mention, the boy was heard to be extremely talented in the art of persuasion and reasoning that many people fell to his whims. However, seeing how ironically well thought out and well done Blue Eyes' impromptu acting had been, Ambar seemed to be clinging onto her every word. "May I have a few moments with Summer?" Immediately a small part of Red Eyes' heart twisted irritably at Ambar's words.

_No, sir, you may not!_ He thought angrily. "Just a minute," Blue Eyes quickly replied. At Ambar's suspicious look, she quickly added, "I need to make sure that she is tended to at every moment. We cannot risk Miss Summer's health by allowing her to be unattended to." She quickly ushered Red Eyes out and closed the door behind them. "_Lewis_, be careful of your emotions." Her blue eyes flashed dangerously at him. "I know that you," her hushed whisper became even quieter, if possible, "_confessed_ to Miss Summer earlier. Mind you, she was very conflicted and confused by your feelings for her."

"Well, it's not like I can just sit around at let her be hurt by Ben!" He whispered furiously back. Blue Eyes' expression softened with sympathy, but her resolve remained solid.

"Either way, you know that there is no one else for Crimson except for Ben himself. If she thinks that he's hurting her, she'll take care of herself. She's very against other people getting into her own personal problems." Blue Eyes glanced around her worriedly before adding, "I know that from my own experience." When she studied his clenched jaw, she let out a soft sigh. "Look, Red Eyes, that doesn't mean that you have to stop liking her. It's just that your confession has made her life even more difficult than it has been already. She's very worried that if she rejects your confession, she's going to lose her friendship with you and from what I can tell; Crimson has a hard time trusting people. For the first couple of days, she was very suspicious of me whenever she returned back to the room. It took about a week before she actually trusted me with her things." She patted him on the back. "She trusts you very much. Don't make her feel uncomfortable and think that if she doesn't answer you in the right way, then she'll lose your friendship. Take her feelings into account first."

* * *

Third Person – Blue Eyes' PoV

"_WHAT?!_" Nema all but blew up in the speakers. Blue Eyes winced and tried to wait for the ringing to ebb away. "_Crimson was poisoned?_"

"Yeah, it turns out that nobody decided to warn us about it first until it was actually done," Blue Eyes replied, studying the girl that was lying on the bed. "Anyway, I think that the people in the headquarters are going to be even more suspicious of me after I saved Crimson from the poison. After all, it seems like I'm working in favor of her now. But I can always back myself up with the argument that Ambar was going to fire me if I didn't do anything." There was a pause and Blue Eyes raised an eyebrow in concern. "Nema?"

"I'll send papa to the Ranger Union as soon as possible. It seems like the 'Utopia' is more intent on getting rid of Crimson than before. We have to mobilize rangers before they actually do something crazier than poison her food."

"Tell me about it. For weeks, Crimson would come home with scratches and scrapes everywhere. She told me that she's suspecting that the different servants are using bully-like tactics on her. But from what I know, they're starting to get a little more aggressive with their work. Before, it was a little too much spice in her food, tacks and needles in her clothing—even when I was sure that nobody touched the washing machine that I washed them in, and then people began to drop flower pots and buckets of water on her."

"Crimson hasn't been telling me that…" Nema said slowly.

"Crimson won't tell you a lot of things," Blue Eyes snorted. "She's nearly impossible to understand. She's really focused on being independent and 'I can do this on my own'." She glanced at Crimson, who was now sweating fervently in her sleep. "Anyway, it looks like there's still a bit of poison in her system. I'll have to get some more blood from Alabaster in order to pump some more antivenom through her veins. I'll call you in a bit."

"Got it." Nema ended the call and Blue Eyes headed into the bathroom, where Alabaster was hiding. Two vials of blood sat next to the exhausted Ditto.

"Sorry about that, Alabaster," Blue Eyes murmured as she extracted the blood from one of the vials with a syringe. "But you're saving Crimson with your antibodies." Stirring the vials gently so the blood wouldn't clot, she patted Alabaster on the head and headed back out to Crimson. _The blood is going to come in handy if they try to poison her again_, Blue Eyes thought as she injected the blood into one of Crimson's veins. _But I doubt they'll use the same poison again._ Narrowing her eyes, she gently pulled out the needle and sealed the wound with a Band-Aid. _Oh Crimson…what are you getting yourself into?_

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

At first, I had been confused when I arrived at the courtyard and noted that Summer wasn't there yet. Usually, the brown-haired ranger was the first to arrive at the training areas. Then Rashmi arrived with Kamran following close behind her, a rather stricken look on her face. "Rashmi? Kamran? What's wrong? Is Summer too sick to come to practice?"

"Summer…she was poisoned earlier, but her maid is taking care of her right now," Kamran told me as Rashmi chewed on her lip and stared nervously at her surroundings. "Rashmi is feeling a bit jittery and uncomfortable because of what happened to Summer earlier, so lessons will be cancelled for the next couple of days. However…if it's possible…could you take Summer's place on her patrols?"

_Poisoned?_ I felt dazed and absolutely horrified. _Sum—Crimson was poisoned?!_ "Of course. I've been going out on patrols with her for a while now," I was barely aware of myself saying, "I'm sure that I remember enough about patrols." Kamran looked relieved at my words.

"You don't have to start today," he told me. "I doubt that—" He was cut off with a roar and all of us turned to see a large Tropius lumbering toward Crimson's room. The three of us exchanged terrified looks before racing into the mansion. I took two steps at a time, adrenaline racing through me as I raced down the hallway. **What are you so worried about? She's perfectly fine!** Oddly enough, I immediately took comfort in the raspy voice in my head and calmed down as I reached her door. _**He's right**_, another voice agreed. _**Have you forgotten Crimson's affinity for Pokémon? The Tropius merely wishes to visit her.**_

Rashmi and Kamran came to a stop behind me, both of them visibly shaken and confused. "Well?" Kamran demanded. "Open the door!" I blinked at him before knocking on the door softly. It opened quickly and a blonde maid stared back at me, her eyebrows raised as she studied the faces of the people behind me.

"Master Sarin, Mistress Sarin, and Young Master Ben," she greeted coolly. "What brings you here in such a hurry?"

"We saw a Pokémon heading toward Summer's room," Rashmi told her. An amused look appeared on the servant's face and she pulled open the door, revealing the Tropius from earlier sticking its head through the doors that led to the balcony. It blew gently on Crimson's face and took to crooning to her softly.

"Master, Mistress, I assure you that there is nothing to worry about. Miss Summer has been visited by many Pokémon during her recovery." She nodded toward a bird Pokémon that had settled itself down onto one of the beams of Crimson's canopy bed.

"Staraptor!" The brown and white Pokémon lifted his head at my call and greeted me with a chirp. Other various Pokémon rested in Crimson's room and cooed to us in greeting.

"Well…I suppose it's alright…" Rashmi still looked conflicted as she studied the room.

"Mistress, it has not been unusual for Miss Summer to be visited by Pokémon. You look rather unsteady on your feet." The servant bowed lowly. "I will be happy to escort you back to your chambers. I am sure that Young Master Ben will be able to watch Miss Summer in my place."

"Of course," I replied. The blonde servant led them out of the room and closed the door gently behind her. I gazed at Crimson and the Tropius before an image flashed in my head.

_A blurry figure was nestled against the side of Entei and the great brown beast did not stir at my presence. However, the Pokémon lying opposite to Entei lifted his head and yawned at me. Suicune turned his head to study me as I clambered off of his back and stared at the scene in front of me. A small smile crossed my face. "Crimson, always being the careless one," I heard myself say fondly. "Well, better get that lunch that Leanne prepared for her."_

The Tropius blew gently on my hair and I patted its muzzle gently. I walked over to Crimson's bedside and sat down, studying her sleeping face. Although she was a bit on the pale side, she looked comfortable and relaxed. **Ahah! He's calling her Crimson. **I frowned at the voice in my head. _Crimson? But she's Summer._ With a jolt, I realized that I had been, in fact, calling the ranger Crimson in my head. **Great job, kiddo! I knew you were getting your memory back! Ya hear that, Reason? **_**Yes, Instinct, I am very aware of this.**_** Sheesh, you don't have to be such a party-pooper. This calls for a celebration!**

_Who are you guys? Why are you in my head?_ There was an aggravated groan and a disappointed voice echoed through my head. **Seriously? You remember her but not us? **_**Insinct**_**,** a voice warned. _**Don't worry Ben, it'll come in time**_. There was a pause before the voice hesitantly added, _**but it would be nice if you could remember us soon.**_ I frowned at this and opened my mouth to speak. "I—"

The weight on the bed suddenly shifted and I turned to see Sum-Crim-Sum—_GAH!_—stirring. Hazy blue eyes opened to blink at me, and she gave me a hesitant smile. "Ben?" She sat up and rubbed at her eyes gently. "What are you—" She broke off to yawn, "doing here?"

"How are you doing?" She blinked at my words before studying the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Better," she replied. "Beats being poisoned anytime." She stretched and let out a pleased hum. "But I'm not sure if I…" She trailed off and I studied her curiously. Without saying a word, she scooted to the edge of the bed and tried to stand up. Her knees wobbled and gave out from underneath her, and I caught her before she landed on the floor. "Nope. Still can't walk." She shook her head as I helped her back onto her bed. "Too bad." She frowned thoughtfully. "I wonder who's going to go on patrols for me…" She studied the Pokémon in her room skeptically.

"Don't worry about that, Crimson. They put me in charge of it." I shrugged. She fell silent and stared at me. Automatically, I felt uncomfortable. "What?" I demanded.

"You called me Crimson…Is your memory coming back?" There was a guarded expression on her face as she studied me critically.

"I think so," I replied. "I remember something about Suicune, Raikou, and Entei all sleeping in a circle around you." Her blue eyes lit up at my words and she threw her arms around me happily.

"That's amazing! You're really remembering!" When she pulled back to look me in the eyes, and a rush of warmth flooded through me. I gently rested my forehead against hers and the look in her eyes quickly dimmed down from ecstatic to hesitant and longing. A shy smile appeared on her face and she closed her eyes. "You're really remembering," she repeated.

* * *

When I walked into my bedroom, Lewis looked up from where he was dusting off my bureau and uttered a soft greeting. I smiled at him and headed toward my closet, where my wetsuit was hung up. As I moved to unzip it from the hanger, I felt his gaze burning into the back of my head. Confused, I turned around to glance in his direction, but he was dusting the wood with so much concentration that I felt like I was just being paranoid. Suspicious and bewildered, I turned take my wetsuit off the hanger and felt his gaze return to me. Swallowing awkwardly, I headed toward the bathroom and proceeded to change as quickly as I could.

I wasn't sure why, but there was some tension between Lewis and I. _Should I ask him what's wrong?_ I thought as I zipped up my wetsuit and proceeded to pull a towel from the rack. _I mean, it would really suck if we just stayed this way the entire time. I'm not one to keep enemies…_I frowned at this thought. _Well, not one to like to have enemies._ **EH! Wrong move, kiddo. Don't befriend Lewis or whatever his name is. **_**Instinct…**_The other voice warned again. **He's got the hots for Crimson just as much as what's his face Ambar does. **_What? How is that possible? He's never come in contact with her!_ There was a pause before the voice named Instinct replied. **Ya don't know that yet, kiddo. You lost your memory, remember?**

Then it hit me. _He was a part of my past?_ _**Instinct!**_ The other voice scolded.** What? **Instinct demanded. **He deserves a right to know a bit, Reason.** _**Yes, but it should be on his own time! Ben…don't force yourself to remember right now. We'll be waiting for you.**_ There was a brief moment of hesitation before Reason added, _**Just…don't forget us again, alright? We'll see you in a bit. **_ It sounded like a door had shut somewhere in the confines of my mind. _Wait, who are you guys?_ Silence met my ears. _Who…?_

* * *

Third Person – Oblivion

_**That was absolutely reckless!**_ Reason screamed at Instinct, who was studying the ground below them with a clenched jaw. _**You know he's going to be even more confused than ever now that you're telling him about the past that he can't remember! Not to mention that, but he's going to be even more cautious around Red Eyes!**_ **I know that**, Instinct gritted out. Reason's irritation faded slightly, but he continued to lecture the latter. **But if you think about it, we're so much closer to reaching Ben now.**

Reason blinked at Instinct._**I suppose you are correct…But we're doing this at the price of his sanity and his self-assurance. **_Instinct snorted at this. **Please. Ben's lost his self-assurance the day that he woke up from being drugged by those bastards. **He growled and punched his open palm a couple of times. **Those damn bastards…knocking him out underwater and injecting him with that amnesia and stuck us in this hellhole.** _**I will assume that you will control yourself when Ben finally remembers us? I'm not interested in having us being tossed into jail.**_ Instinct snorted at this. **I'm sure that Ben and I will be able to avoid that. **He tossed an amused look at Reason when the logical persona gave him a dirty glare. **Joking, joking. But I think that Ben'll be the one that's going to be the least forgiving out of all us.**

* * *

A/N: *GASP* SHE WAS POISONED?! Uh-oh...Three way rivalry and only Ben knows about it~ (or at least he knows the other two).

So I'm predicting probably five or six more chapters, and this story will end at about 22 chapters...but I may be able to toss something extra in there and make it 23. :P

REVIEWER SHOUT-OUTS!

**Sophia-DC - **Yayyyy! I was absolutely ecstatic when I saw your review. I have to agree, this story is on the suspenseful, tense, and angsty side. I had writer's block last Saturday and was completely stressed out by it. Luckily, I got over it by Monday.

**SL** - Laziness-it's something that I go through too. I usually only "favorite" stories that I enjoy very much, but I never care to review them because...well...I always end up reading them when they're all completed. I should probably still review, but I'm pretty lazy too...

**Some Person** - I hope you enjoy this chapter and the ones to come. I mean, you've been following me since the beginning of this story and I really have to give it to ya: you are one of my favorite readers right now.

Alright everyone, chapters will be coming sooner or later and the end (unfortunately) will come too!

R&R!


	17. Chapter 16

Hi guys! It's been a long time since I've last updated and I have a feeling that some of you guys may be angry at me because I had already written the chapter but for some reason just wouldn't upload it.

...Please don't kill me.

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!

* * *

The shadow beside me flickered and I recoiled automatically, eyes blazing as I scoured the walls and the hallway behind me. "Summer?" Startled, I snapped out of my stupor and turned to see Shanti in the doorway of the dining area. "Are you going to come in?"

"Of course," I replied. "I'm just feeling really tired." Mrs. Sarin and Ambar had decided to keep the news away from the children to make sure that they wouldn't get too upset. Mrs. Sarin seemed particularly influenced by a book that a female author had written about how young children could be easily affected by horrific events and will have post-traumatic stress regardless of how many years passed from then. Although Shanti and Marut had gone off of the island on a boat trip with their tutors to study in a different setting, Mrs. Sarin was insistent on keeping the children unaware of what had happened two days ago. I had spent yesterday lounging around my room and sleeping on and off. Blue Eyes insisted on injecting me often with the blood that she had drawn from Alabaster from time to time, but she stopped as soon as I began to walk steadily on my own.

Red Eyes appeared quickly by my side and gently set down the breakfast of the day—scrambled eggs and toast. I eyed it suspiciously, but his whisper was reassuring my ear. "Blue Eyes made them," he breathed before quickly retreating respectfully to the corner of the room. I cast a subtle glance in his direction before carefully tucking in. Yesterday, Red Eyes had visited me and apologized for his earlier confession. I had quickly cut him off and told him apologetically that it was impossible for me to accept his affections. _After all, my heart still beats with Ben_, I thought restlessly, pushing my eggs around the plate. _And he's calling me Crimson again…_It was disappointing to find out that the only thing that he remembered was my name and the fact that we were partners, but I was delighted by the progress that he had made regardless.

"Summer? Is your stomach still bothering you?" I looked up to see Mrs. Sarin watching me with concern. The lie that we had conjured up when Shanti had questioned why I was absent from the table yesterday was that I was suffering from some sort of stomach bug. I told her that I was just feeling a bit uncomfortable, and she immediately sent her own maidservant with a bowlful of candy. Blue Eyes had studied the pile critically and emptied it in one of my drawers before returning the empty bowl. I agreed with her and her actions—it was too soon to start trusting the other servants after what had just happened.

"No, I'm fine," I replied. "Just a bit tired." I dipped my head and continued eating.

"Are you sure you're alright? You don't have to train with us today," Mrs. Sarin pressed. I shook my head.

"No, I'm perfectly fine." I smiled at her. "I know my body better than anyone. I'll stop if it's too much for me."

"Speaking of training," Alisha cut in, dabbing daintily at the corners of her mouth. "I'm afraid that I've spent too many hours sitting around in a room with a tutor staring over my shoulder. I haven't been outside for several weeks now and I was hoping to join your training for today, mother."

"Well…" Mrs. Sarin shot a look at her husband, who looked conflicted, as usual.

"I'm sure it'll do her some good," he replied after a few long moments. "After all, Shanti and Marut were able to go outside and study outside for a while. I'm sure that Alisha deserves a break after so much studying." Mrs. Sarin glanced worriedly in my direction, but I smiled reassuringly.

"Alright, Alisha. Practice starts at nine thirty," she said slowly. Alisha gave her mother a sweet smile and returned to her breakfast without shooting a single dirty look in my way. With an inward sigh of relief, I quickly finished off my breakfast, and Red Eyes gently set down a glass of orange juice.

"Blue," he whispered. Giving him the subtlest of nods, I sipped from the glass before taking steadier gulps. Ever since the incident with the poison, Blue Eyes began to work more often in the kitchen to make sure that nobody was poisoning me. Of course, there was nobody to be suspicious of her now that Mr. and Mrs. Sarin were very concerned with the staff. All of the employees were working very carefully that none of them would be targeted by the head of the house. As I headed out the doorway, I noticed Ben leaning against the wall, waiting.

"Crimson. Do you want to go on a quick patrol?" His brown eyes were eager and warm as he smiled at me. I couldn't help but return the gesture—after realizing that he had regained some tiny part of his memory, we had started to rebuild the relationship that we had at the very beginning our partnership two years ago.

"Sounds great," I replied as the two of us headed toward the gardens.

"Summer! Ben! Are you going out for a patrol?" Both of us turned to see Ambar standing by the dining room.

"Yeah," Ben called back. A broad grin spread across Ambar's face.

"Mind if I join you?" Ben raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged. There would be nothing wrong in having Ambar join us. A conflicted look appeared on Ben's face. After a little bit, he nodded and a smile crossed his face although it never reached his eyes. I studied Ben curiously, but he ignored me and refused to meet my eyes.

"Then hurry up!" His tone was playful, but at the same time it sounded forced. Ambar raced over, wrapping his arms around both of our shoulders. I was a bit irked about his invasion of my personal space, but I tried hard to ignore it. Ben looked equally uncomfortable but seemed to be handling it much better than I was. Ambar hummed happily as the three of us headed to the gardens, as if he wasn't aware of the looks on either of our faces.

"Pichu!" Ukulele Pichu raced over the second that we entered the garden and held up his arms to me. Taking this as a chance to distance myself from Ambar, I quickly reached down to scoop him into my arms. The yellow Pokémon nuzzled my chin happily and I smiled down at him. Since he took to sleeping in the gardens more often than he slept in my room, I hadn't seen very much of him. He usually hung around while I was patrolling, but otherwise he was frolicking with the other Pokémon. Ben tossed me a subtle glance that begged for some sort of assistance in detaching himself respectfully from Ambar.

"Starr!" A bird Pokémon appeared in front of Ben, startling Ambar enough that he withdrew his arm, stumbling backward. Casually, as if he hadn't caused anything, Ben's Staraptor settled happily on his partner's shoulder and fluffed up his feathers. Ben stroked Staraptor's wing gently and looked rather thankful to have Ambar's arm off of him.

"Why don't you try flying on Staraptor again?" I suggested. Ben shot me a horrified look, and the corners of my mouth curled upwards in amusement. It had been the same face that he had given me when we were first trained with Staraptors. "Come on, your Staraptor is one of the best fliers in the Ranger Union. He's not going to let you fall." Still, Ben continued to give me a horrified stare. "Ben…Just trust me, okay?"

"I trust you," he told me. "I trust Staraptor…but I can't trust myself. Even if he's going to do his best not to let me fall…that doesn't mean I won't fall."

"Just go for it!" Ambar suddenly put in. "I'm sure it'll be fun."

"P-plummeting toward the ground at high speeds is not fun!" Ben spluttered.

"Yeah it is. That is, until you hit the ground," Ambar replied. I chuckled at his words and he shot Ben a triumphant look. If anything, Ben looked even more terrified than before. _This isn't going to work_, I sighed inwardly. _How did our teachers train us again? _An image flickered through my head. _Oh yeah…_ Looking around, I spotted a Pelipper nestled on one of the branches of an oak tree.

"How's this? I'll send a bird Pokémon flying underneath you," I said as I pulled out my Styler and initiated a capture, "and then you'll be less likely to fall."

"Why don't I fly at, maybe, a foot over the ground? I'm sure I'll build my confidence from there," Ben stammered. Rolling my eyes, I watched as the Pelipper left its perch and flew over to us. Those words were the exact ones he had used against our flying teacher.

"'_Part of learning is taking risks'_," I quoted our teacher. "_'Especially when it comes to flying.'_" Ben blinked at my words.

"I've heard those words from somewhere," he told me.

"I'm well aware," I replied dryly. "Now get onto Staraptor before I tie you onto his back." Ben looked back and forth between Staraptor and me as if he was weighing his options. I took a step toward him and he immediately leapt onto his Pokémon's back. I heard Ambar laugh as I stood beside Ben and told him how to hold himself. "Lean forward, grip the spaces where Staraptor's wings connect to his body, and squeeze his sides with your legs if you want to go faster." A strange look appeared on his face as he settled himself down. "Staraptor, start off smooth and slow," I told Ben's partner Pokémon. He chirped at me, but took off with a squawk of surprise. I shot a wild look at the Pelipper beside me and sent it quickly after them.

_What's going on?_ I felt helpless as I captured the nearest Venusaur and led it around the gardens, hoping the bloom on its back would cushion Ben's fall. _This definitely not going the way I planned. Staraptor was supposed to go slow!_ The Pelipper looked slightly overwhelmed as it raced after the speedy duo. _I should've known to send a different Pokémon after the two of them_, I thought bitterly. _A Pelipper is nowhere as fast as a Staraptor._ I captured other Venusaurs on my way as I chased after Ben and his Staraptor. _Damn, I wish Latias was with me right now!_ Latias. I skidded to a stop and stared up at the sky, accessing how much was hidden by the trees. _If I can summon Latias then I can most definitely summon Suicune…Entei and Raikou wouldn't be able to cross the waters though… _I chewed on my lip thoughtfully. _I can call Nema later and get her to send Murph over on the Union with Suicune, Entei and Raikou in preparation for the attack…_

"Summer!" Ambar raced by me, twisting his head to shoot me a horrified look. "What are you doing? Ben's still in danger!" Immediately, I snapped out of my thoughts and started running again. The Pelipper that I had sent after Ben had began to slow down with exhaustion. _Later, Crimson,_ I scolded myself. _Think about all this stuff later, when Ben is safe._ As a watched, Staraptor disappeared with a dark brown flash. The Pelipper stopped immediately, circling in small, confused circles. "Where…?" I heard Ambar trail off as he walked to my side.

"_Starr!_" I turned just in time to see a dark figure cut through the sky like a knife, piercing through the circle that the Pelipper had been making. The water-bird Pokémon let out a startled squawk and fled immediately. The speeding figure threw open its arms and raced toward Ambar and I.

"_Watch out!_" I tackled Amber, sending both of us flying onto our sides. I felt a sharp gust of wind pull hard on my clothes as the flying object flew past. Lifting my head, I watched as it did a quick u-turn at the lake and started heading back in our direction. I covered Ambar with my body, pulling out my Styler in case of an attack. I had no idea what I was going up against, but that speed was dangerous.

Suddenly, the figure stopped in front of us and lowered itself to the ground. It looked at me and chirped happily at me. "Starr!" It greeted. Ben, who had seemed to disappear earlier on, leapt off of his Staraptor's back with a very satisfied grin on his face. I stared blankly at the bird Pokémon. When did he become so fast? He was almost fast enough to catch up with Latias now. Pulling my eyes away from Staraptor, I turned my gaze to Ben, whose smile was fading slightly when he looked at Ambar and I. A flicker of rage sparked my earlier worry.

"What the hell were you doing?" I bellowed, clambering off of Ambar and standing in front of Ben.

"I remembered how to fly!" Ben quickly defended himself, looking a bit confused at my sudden outburst. "I was just testing out Staraptor's new flying skills and—what's with all the Venusaur following you around?" He broke off and stared at the crowd of giant grass Pokémon behind me.

I clenched my fists as my body began to shake violently. _Stupid, stupid, stupid Ben!_ I felt his eyes trail over me with concern. "Crimson?" His voice was soft.

"Do you know how worried I was?" I grit out slowly. "Do you know how scared I was?" I lifted my eyes and glared at him with as much anger as I could muster. The effect, however, was probably ruined by my tears. "_Do you know how I terrified I was?_" Visibly shaken, Ben took a step back. "Do _not_ take flying casually," I spat. "_Did you forget that I plummeted hundreds of feet into the ocean?_" A horrified look crossed Ben's face and he tried to reach out to me. In his place, two arms wrapped around my shoulders and brought my back against a sturdy frame.

"Shhh, its okay, Summer," Ambar whispered softly in my ear. I barely paid attention to him as he slowly turned me around. "Let's get you inside. Training will start in a bit." _I know that_, I seethed inwardly. _Don't you dare tell me what to do! The last thing that I am is inferior to you! I'm not a child!_ Despite these rebellious thoughts in my head, I said nothing to Ambar as he led me away. "It's going to be alright."

* * *

"Summer." I looked up to see Alisha standing in front of me with blazing eyes. "Be my sparring partner today." I barely registered the words—were they orders or were they offers? I was faintly aware of Mrs. Sarin sending horrified looks in my direction, but I numbly nodded and accepted Alisha's challenge. She led me away from the main courtyard and to a good-sized clearing filled with grass. Without a warning, she swung her fist at me and I instinctively ducked. There was a flash of white as her knee flew toward my face and I held up my arms to block it.

Alisha was merciless as she continued to attack me and force me into a defensive state. But with each blow, blocked or not, I felt something dark stirring in the pits of my stomach. As she threw another punch in my direction, I saw an opening and immediately took my chance. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind me, swinging my leg for an over-head kick.

She blocked the blow and charged, aiming for my chest as she stuck her elbow out in front of her. I sidestepped her, but her other elbow came in my direction and caught me in the jaw. My teeth clashed and I tasted blood as the inside of my cheek was torn open. Alisha was ready again for another offensive attack, feinting a blow to my side as she twisted her body around to kick me on the other side. Taking a step back, I ducked underneath her attack and barely avoided another wild kick to my jaw. If anything, Alisha seemed intent on having me bite off my tongue.

A mixture of rage and adrenaline pumped through my veins as I roughly grabbed Alisha's wrist and yanked her off balance. Immediately, I began my offensive assault. I targeted her legs, her arms, and her sides with kicks and punches. I punched her on the shoulder and received an uppercut in the gut. I swept her feet out from underneath her and was battered by her wildly kicking legs. Biting back a scream of rage, I turned her on her back and held her down; making sure that she was incapable of tossing me off. As she continued to struggle, I twisted her arm harder and harder until she cried out, "mercy!"

I wanted to keep fighting; I wanted to beat her down for all that she had done—but the fight was over. I climbed off of her and spit a mouthful of blood to the side. Testing the inside of my cheek gently with my tongue, I winced as I assessed the damage. Eating would be painful for the next two or three days. The blow Alisha had delivered to my diaphragm made breathing a little difficult, but I felt myself recovering slowly. All the kicks and punches she had thrown my way would definitely leave me with a couple of scrapes and bruises, but for the most part, I was alright.

I reached down and helped her up, quickly assessing the damage I had done. As I looked over every bruise, I felt no remorse for what I had done. She had challenged me, and I had won. I had been careful to avoid targeting her face or her dominant arm, but her legs were speckled with already-forming bruises. She rested her arms on her knees, drenched with sweat and wheezing. "Good fight," I murmured.

"He's all yours." I barely registered what she had said before she left the clearing, holding her head proudly and trying hard to hide her limp. I stared after her, disbelieving my ears. _Alisha…?_

* * *

"Oh, did you really have to do this to yourself?" Blue Eyes fussed as she patched up my scrapes. I winced as the disinfectant came in contact with where my skin was torn apart and tried hard not to hiss in pain as she proceeded to bandage them up. "And your cheek! How can I possibly treat your cheek if it's torn up on the inside?"

"That girl's quite a fighter," Red Eyes remarked as he watched Blue Eyes tend to the scrapes on my legs. "I'll leave when you have take her clothes off," he reassured her. His red eyes flickered playfully at me. "Or maybe you'd prefer it if I stayed?" He teased. Red Eyes laughed at my flushed face and dodged the roll of bandages that Blue Eyes threw in his direction.

"Out!" She screamed and he complied, holding his hands up in surrender before shutting the door behind him. She turned back to me, huffing as she continued to disinfect and dab at my wounds. "So what was the fight about?"

"I don't know," I replied, sighing. "She said, 'he's all yours' afterwards, but I'm not sure I really know what her message was."

"It's about Ben," Blue Eyes told me as she swabbed a large scrape on my thigh with a cotton ball.

"I know that much!" I winced at the sting of the disinfectant. "But why resolve it with a fight?"

"She probably wanted to know if she was right to leave him to you," Blue Eyes said, wrapping a bandage around my thigh. "Although it's much more of a guy thing to do." She patted my thigh, ignoring my wince as she drew back. "There! You should be good for now. Just don't get into something like that again."

"Worth for Ben, huh?" I mused as I gently tapped my knee. "I've never thought about that…" I studied the blanket underneath me. "I wonder if I really am worth him…"

"Crimson, don't make me start the whole 'you're perfect the way you are and you shouldn't change no matter what' and the 'if he doesn't like you then you're too good for him' speech. I'm not interested in boosting your ego anytime soon."

"What ego?"

"Everyone's got an ego, Crimson," she replied, smugly putting away the first-aid kit. "Even you." I raised an eyebrow at her last words.

"Should I feel flattered or insulted?"

"Both."

* * *

"Are you sure this is worth a try? A flashing signal in the middle of the night can arouse suspicion," Blue Eyes warned me as the two of us headed out onto my balcony.

"It's not like the 'Utopia' can challenge me for 'drawing signs with fun lines'* in the middle of the night. Besides, mostly everyone should be asleep by now." I glanced at my Styler and noted the time. "After all, it is about one in the morning." Blue Eyes grunted and watched as I lifted my Styler to the sky and began drawing Latias' sign. Once her sign faded into the night sky, I drew Suicune's sign.

"Latii!" Latias appeared within a minute or two, happily covering me with affectionate licks and nuzzles. I tossed a triumphant look at Blue Eyes, who rolled her eyes and patted the flying Pokémon's neck affectionately.

"And Suicune?" She questioned.

"It'll probably take him some time. After all, he's getting here by sea rather than air." Latias hummed happily as I led her into my bedroom. "All we'll have to do is wait."

"You are aware that you'll have to wake up early to patrol and do training, right?"

"Yeah. But I'm sure that Mrs. Sarin would let me sleep in a couple of hours if I told her that I had trouble sleeping." When Blue Eyes scowled at me, I gave her a questioning look. "What? It's not like I'm lying. I'm only giving her half of the truth. I _am_ having trouble sleeping."

"That's only because you couldn't stop thinking about all," Blue Eyes gestured to my Styler and Latias, "this and decided that you had to try as soon as possible! Besides, we'll have to send Latias back soon if we don't want anyone to spot her."

"Of course." I stroked the Pokémon's neck before guiding her back to the balcony. "I'll see you in a bit," I told her. "Go back to Oblivia." With a low cry, Latias nuzzled me one last time and took off into the sky. I turned back to Blue Eyes and beckoned her to me. "I think its best if we wait out here and keep an eye out for Suicune. We don't want him roaring and waking up the entire manor, do we?"

The two of us stood there for at least an hour before a glimmer of blue and purple caught my eye. "Suicune!" I hissed from the balcony. The water beast lifted his head and nodded before leaping onto the terrace. "Alright, it seems like we'll be able to summon both Latias and Suicune. Do you think it would be good if we sent Murph over on the Union with Entei and Raikou as well?"

"Maybe. How long did it take you to get here?"

"About two hours."

"That's going to take too long for the raid to start."

"But that's the thing—we won't be starting it. Nema's going to be giving us the cue. From what I know, rangers will be flying in on Pokémon and arriving on The Union. She'll send them off when she thinks it's time and call us as soon as she can." I knelt down beside Suicune and stroked his mane. "Hey Suicune. I'm sorry to summon you so suddenly and then tell you to go, but this was just to make sure that you would be able to get to the island." He pressed his muzzle against my hand. "Go back to Oblivia. I'll see you soon." Suicune turned away from me and leapt off of the balcony before disappearing into the night.

"So what now?" Blue Eyes studied me from where she stood.

"We call Nema."

* * *

First Person – Nema's PoV

"Alright, I got it. I'll send papa as soon as I can."

"Bye." Crimson ended the call from the other side and I removed the headphones from my head.

"Mom, can you tell papa to go to the Ranger Union as soon as possible? We need all of the rangers in Oblivia as soon as possible!"

"Why here?" Mom appeared at the doorway, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm going to suit them up," I replied, nodding to the enormous stacks of inventions that were lined up around my bedroom. "Crimson just called to say that we can summon Entei, Suicune, Raikou, and Latias to come and help in the raid. We'll have Murph take about a third of the rangers on The Union with Entei and Raikou on board."

"But what will those legendary Pokémon do?"

"They'll carry Pokéballs back to The Union. They'll bring them back here so we can release them and stuff." I shrugged as I put my computer on sleep mode and headed to back to bed. "Send papa in the morning," I yawned.

"Alright."

* * *

Third Person – Red Eyes' PoV

**10 A.M. – Admin Room, 3****rd**** floor**

"But if you think about it, it'll be much easier to move these Pokéballs if they're all in bags. They would be easier to move around it's much more suspicious to be bringing around enormous crates than carrying a couple bags. We can say that the bags contain apples or some sort of fruit," Red Eyes reasoned. Larry, the head butler, frowned in thought. Michael, one of the head administrators of the 'Utopia', studied the faces of the people around him. Red Eyes chewed on his bottom lip nervously as he waited for the rejection of his idea.

"It would be easier," Patrick, another admin, agreed. "We can also say that the bags holding the Pokéballs are just filled with trash."

"It would still be conspicuous if everyone is carrying around bulging bags!" Another admin spluttered.

"That's why we'll do it at night. You see, they won't be able to see us do it." Red Eyes had seen his chance and took it triumphantly. However, it didn't seem like the head administrators of "Utopia" agreed to his point.

"I suppose…" Larry trailed off. "All in favor?"

"Aye!" The people around the table chorused. Red Eyes did his best to mask his triumph. _Alright, the raid is finally building up._

"We'll start tonight!" Michael declared. "The move will in three days!"

* * *

**1 PM – Ben's Room, Red Eyes' quarters**

"It's decided," Red Eyes relayed to Nema, "the move starts in three days."

"Alright. I'll see if I can teach all of the rangers how to use their dart-shooters in time for that then," she grumbled back through the speakers. "Despite how well they adapt to Stylers, they're clumsy with every other piece of technology that's offered to them! How's Crimson, by the way? I haven't heard from her in days."

"I'm surprised that Blue Eyes didn't just call you as soon as _it _happened."

"What is _it_?" Nema demanded.

"It turns out the sparring match between Crimson and Alisha turned into a full out fight. From what I've heard, Alisha's left with scrapes and bruises, and Crimson managed to tear her cheek open."

"_WHAT?!_" Nema spluttered. Red Eyes winced and turned the volume down on his Stealth Communicator. According to what Red Eyes had experienced, Nema wasn't going to lower her voice until she calmed down if anything had happened to Crimson.

"Yeah, I heard that Alisha forced Crimson's jaw shut and it tore open the inside of her cheek. Crimson won in the end, but she didn't get off lightly." Red Eyes winced, remembering the large scrapes and bruises that decorated the ranger's arms and legs.

"Why that little…" He heard Nema mutter. There was a shuffling noise and he heard Nema call out to someone in the background. "Sorry about that. I have to leave now. It seems that one of the rangers managed to tangle themselves up with the rope from the Grappler bullets." Red Eyes snorted at this. "Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

**Approximately 5 PM**

As the day passed, I became increasingly uncomfortable because of the looks that Ambar and Lewis would send me. That voice in my head—Instinct, was it? If anything, it seems like he was telling the truth about how the two of them would act differently to me. But was it really because of Crimson?

_Well, Lewis did scowl at me when he saw that I was chatting with Crimson at the dining table,_ I thought to myself. _And Ambar did join in on the patrol earlier this morning and make snarky comments at me. _I paused._ Does Crimson like him back? I mean, she did seem to laugh at his jokes. Or does Crimson like Lewis? They seem sorta close…but then again, how _does _Crimson know Lewis? Ugh, my head hurts…_

Something brushed up against me and I started before realizing that it was only Alisha. "Hey Alisha," I greeted. She gave me a small smile and nodded toward the gardens.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Automatically, I hesitated. _Wasn't Crimson's balcony the one that overlooked the gardens?_ I blinked and then mentally slapped myself. _Why should you care so much about what Crimson thinks? You're supposed to be in a relationship with Alisha—remember? ...Right?_

"Sure." I followed her through the rose maze until we reached a small, secluded spot by the courtyard. As we headed toward the benches that had been set up around the fountains, I grimaced at the memories that came flooding back.

As Rashmi and I had sparred, we were startled to see that Alisha had returned with a slight limp and bruises and scrapes all over. When Rashmi rushed forward to ask her daughter what had happened, Alisha had just brushed her off with a casual, "It got a little too heated." Alisha ignored her mother's fussing and headed toward the mansion, calling over her shoulder that she was going to get ready to meet with her tutor in her room. Minutes later, Crimson appeared, looking even worse with bloodied scrapes and bruises all over. She tried to smile reassuringly at us but winced when Rashmi touched her cheek. The sparring match had been anything but friendly between the two of them. I could only wonder what they had been fighting over.

After a bit, I realized that Alisha wasn't clinging onto me like she usually was. Instead, she kept her distance and made sure she was always a couple paces ahead of me. "Alisha…are you alright?" She didn't answer until we reached the fountain.

"Ben…I'm giving up this fight," she whispered. "I know how conflicted you become whenever I cling onto you. So…I'm ending this relationship while I still have a shred of dignity left." She looked me in the eye. "The fight today was over _you,_ Ben." My heart began to beat erratically. "Crimson won, but I'm not sure if she knew that it was about you. I can say something though…" She hesitated before saying, "She's in love with you. She's tried her best to hide it, but I'm not blind. If anything, I'm the complete opposite."

"I…"

"But you're not the only one," she warned. "I've seen Ambar look at her the same way that she looks at you. And that servant boy that works for you. But the truth is…I haven't been blind to how you look at her." Sadness filled her eyes as she touched my cheek. "You always look so confused. But I can see that you want her just as much as she needs you." Her eyelashes flickered as she stared at the ground. "Ben, whatever relationship that we had—I'm ending it. From this day on…" she hesitated, as if the thought pained her. "Let's just be friends."

"Alisha…Do you think I loved her before?"

"It makes the most sense," she replied. She leaned in and pecked me gently on the cheek before quickly withdrawing. "Thank you, Ben."

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

**Approximately 5 PM**

"Sorry about that. Couldn't get free until a bit later," Red Eyes panted as he quickly shut the door behind him. Blue Eyes, who had protectively covered Alabaster, relaxed and returned to feeding my Pokémon. "Chores, more meetings, and other stuff."

"It's no problem," I told him. "Blue Eyes actually had to kick Ambar out of my room because he was hanging around for too long." I frowned at Red Eyes, who narrowed his eyes at my words. "You didn't see him in the hallway, did you?"

"Nope." Red Eyes shook his head. "Anyway, I managed to convince everyone to put the Pokéballs in bags. I called Nema as soon as I got a free moment, and according to the administrators, the move will start in about three days." He paused and studied the darkening sky. "Okay, more like two days," he decided.

"What'd Nema say?"

"She has a lot of rangers in Oblivia right now and she's desperately trying to teach them how to use the gadgets that she made. Unfortunately, it seems that she's having a hard time with them. Something about how one of them managed to tangle themselves up with the Grappler rope."

"What? How do you get stuck in Grappler rope? It's not like you twirl in the sky as you're escaping—that's suicide!" I spluttered. Red Eyes shrugged.

"Either way, expect the oncoming call for a raid within the next couple of days. Are you well stocked up on all of your different things?"

"Five magazines loaded with Knock-out, a dart-gun that looks like a pistol, three Grappler guns, ten grappler bullets, and three pocketknives seem to be everything that I can carry," I relayed to him. Red Eyes nodded.

"Sounds good. I'll see you guys around then," he said before quickly exiting my room. I turned to Blue Eyes.

"You know, for siblings, you don't really act so…affectionate."

"Well, I was taken in for adoption, and I think he was left at the orphanage until he grew up," Blue Eyes replied as she fed Alabaster another pellet of Pokéfood.

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't be." Blue Eyes shook her head. "I didn't meet him again until the first week that I joined the Pinchers. He had dyed his bangs red at that point. Not to mention, he recognized me first," she admitted. "All of a sudden, I was given orders from higher officials and was automatically transferred into the administrative branches. I was sent to his chambers—you have no idea how terrifying it was to be sent to someone's room—thinking that some officer took interest in me and wanted to bed me and all but…He called me by my real name. After looking at him for a bit, I realized that he was my older brother, and although I hate to admit it," she grumbled, "he's been watching my back and saving my ass far too many times."

"Real name…what is your real name?" Blue Eyes shot an exasperated look in my direction.

"I didn't lie on my resume," she stated dryly. My eyes widened.

"So…your real name is…"

"Heather Milson," she replied. "Red Eyes' real name is Lewis Milson. The only reason why we went by 'Red Eyes' or 'Blue Eyes' or whatever was because those were our codenames in the Pincher organization."

"Then…should I call you Heather?" Blue Eyes shook her head.

"No. You see, Blue Eyes is a name that's grown on me. In a way, it almost feels like it's become more of a title to me. Either way, I don't think Red Eyes or I will be used to having you call us by our real names." She studied her nails lazily. "After all, we're so used to calling each other by our codenames that we don't even call each other by our birth names anymore."

"But wouldn't I just be calling you by a false name?"

"Crimson, 'Blue Eyes' is as much of a real name to me as 'Crimson' is to you. Your name is Summer, but you consider 'Crimson' as your real name, don't you?" I nodded. "See? It's the same logic for us. Red Eyes and I feel like our codenames give us another life—something that won't remind of us all the times that we weren't together or the times in the orphanage." Blue Eyes smiled at me reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Are you still in contact with your foster family?" Blue Eyes hesitated. "Don't tell me if you don't want to," I quickly told her.

"I will tell you," she replied. "Because I trust that you won't judge me for it. I haven't been in contact ever since I joined the Pinchers. They probably think I'm missing or that I'm dead." She looked down at her lap. "I'm thinking that once this is all over, I'll go back to them and introduce them to Red Eyes."

"So that's why you want a clean slate."

"Crimson, as a foster child, you either fall in love with your foster family or you hate them forever. I fell in love with my family, but I will be breaking all my ties with them because I don't want a family where I'm not legally bound to Red Eyes. His last name is still Milson, but my surname was changed the second that I was adopted. I became Heather Terrim, and I don't want to stay that way. I want to go back to being Heather Milson, younger sister of Lewis Milson, and daughter of the deceased Kassandra and Thomas Milson." She shook her head. "Even if I was an orphan, that doesn't mean that I don't remember my parents. Even if I loved the Terrim family, I am still a Milson at heart. Not to mention, if they don't understand my reasons, I'm old enough to hire a lawyer."

"If you really want to go that far, I'm sure you can hire a very good lawyer. I'd pay for you, if you'd like," I offered. "Well, at least after the Ranger Union is rebuilt. I'll be putting in all of my extra wages to help pay for the reparations."

"Thank you," Blue Eyes replied. She fell silent for a couple of seconds and fiddled with the plastic sealing of the Pokéfood. "Crimson…all of us just want to go back to a time where we were safe and nothing was wrong, right?" I studied Blue Eyes, suddenly aware of how vulnerable she was.

"Of course," I whispered. "I wish that Ben had his memories back. I wished that we never had to come to this manor where our safety is constantly threatened. I wish I was never attacked in the Sophian Forest. I wish that I wasn't poisoned earlier and that I wouldn't have to fight with Alisha for Ben. I wish that I could settle down in Oblivia with Rand, Leanne, Nema, and my best friend Zenith. If you look back, the times where it seemed like everything was alright are the times that you miss the most. But we grow from hard times. As much as I hate to admit it, Nema's involvement in this mission has really made her aware of the dangers of the world. Not to mention, the Ranger Union became a target because of the 'Utopia'. You and Red Eyes have to risk your reputations and your lives in order to spy for us, and many Pokémon have to suffer because of the 'Utopia's twisted ways."

"You're also risking your life to stop this organization."

"It's an occupational hazard," I replied. "I would've died to stop the Societa. Why shouldn't I put my life on the risk to stop the 'Utopia' as well?"

"So selfless," Blue Eyes snorted. "It makes me wonder how you can be so nice and generous even when it comes to death."

"Well, it's not that I don't fear it. I was raised to deal with the greater good. I mean, I have been taught to work for individual achievement, but I've always felt like I wanted to be someone who did something that would have the most net benefits at the very end." I shook my head fondly. "But I can point a finger at something that did press on that idea more than I did myself—the Ranger Union. Being a ranger is just as dangerous as being a firefighter or a cop. Not to mention that, but the Ranger Union is always credited for our success rather than us getting individual recognition."

"Sounds irritating," Blue Eyes commented as she stashed away the Pokéfood.

"It is at times," I agreed. "But you're so caught up in doing good things for other people that you really don't mind at that point."

"Are you saying that you don't have any personal desires?"

"Well, I actually am debating whether I should ask Professor Hastings to put Oblivia as my home base," I told her. "I would still be free to go on missions and everything, but once everything was done, I could just return to Oblivia instead of hanging out at the Ranger Union until another mission came up. It's a pretty selfish thing, now that I think about it. It would be hard for them to contact me and I'm actually pretty limited because I only have Latias to take me around."

"Well, Latios can take over Oblivia for her, right?"

"I doubt she'd want to stay away from her brother for so long," I snorted. "I'll have to be resourceful when it comes to getting around from place to place for now on."

"Sounds irritating," Blue Eyes repeated. "Hey Crimson—I've been meaning to ask—what region do you come from? I mean, you're obviously not from Oblivia and you seem to have a way with Dittos…"

"Johto," I replied. "My best friend Zenith headed to the Hoenn region first because he wanted a bit more independence than he would've gotten here. Not to mention, his father's a gym leader over in that region. He came back after becoming the champion and took down our own Elite Four." I blinked kindly at Alabaster as he left Blue Eyes' side and hopped onto the bed beside me. "Dittos are fairly rare in the Johto region, so I'm pretty lucky to have Alabaster. But as for Dratinis, Growlithes, and Pidgeys—we've got more than enough back home."

"And why don't you want to go back to Johto?"

"Johto's ridiculously crowded," I replied, sighing. "We have Pokéathalons, our own Elite Four, and cities with very different cultural influences. It's just so noisy, and even though there is a lot of land for the Pokémon to reside in, it's just too close to the cities for my liking." I patted Alabaster gently before walking over to the balcony, relishing the cool breeze that caressed my cheeks. "But I don't like isolation either. A small place—probably Reinbow Island—will be enough for me. Even Aqua Resort is just a bit too noisy for me," I told Blue Eyes as she stepped onto the balcony. She let out a thoughtful "mmm" and looked around the garden.

"Wait…isn't that…" She pointed toward the courtyard. "Ben and Alisha?" Immediately, I swiveled my head in the direction she was pointing. I squinted until I saw Ben's infamous gravity-defying hair and a smaller, more slender figure beside him. My heart plummeted as Alisha raised herself onto her tip-toes, leaned into Ben, and held her position. I swallowed hard as I watched the two of them, all the way up to the moment when they parted. When Ben took her hands…I just couldn't stand it anymore. I turned away from the balcony and blabbered something about taking a quick shower to Blue Eyes. When in the safety of my bathroom, I stared at the bandages that decorated my limbs and felt a numbness seeping into my bones.

_Alisha may have let him go…but he might have not let her go yet…_I thought as I slid down the door. I picked gently at the edges of my bandages and stared at the tiles on the walls. A gentle knock came from behind me. "Crimson? I'm going downstairs to get you your dinner. I'll tell them that you're not feeling well," I heard Blue Eyes say before her footsteps faded away. _Distraction, distraction; I need a distraction…_Suddenly, I remembered Nema. _The raid._

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! Did you enjoy the little insight to Red Eyes' and Blue Eyes' life? I actually felt like this sob-story was a bit too cliche, but it might just do.

*'drawing signs with fun lines' If you guys remember correctly, Nema had originally named "Sign Mode" 'drawing fun signs with lines'.

My A/N will be very short for the chapters to come, I think. I just wanted to add time references in this chapter so that you wouldn't get too confused about where and when everything is happening.

Thanks guys! R&R!


	18. Chapter 17

AHAH! I TOLD YOU THAT NOT EVERY CHAPTER WOULD BE WRITTEN OF CRIMSON'S POV FIRST!

This chapter is about Nema's experiences with the rangers and how they're preparing for the raid. Raid is coming up, so watch out!

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!

* * *

First Person – Nema's PoV

I sighed inwardly as I studied the sad, sad scene before me. At least fifteen rangers stood in front of me, all struggling with at least one of my gadgets. The so-called "top-rangers" were struggling with the Grappler Guns, which were one of the easiest to use. You took aim, fired, and let your body cut through the air. However, the four of them seemed intent on twisting their body in the air rather than really swinging from the rope. Two other rangers—Julian and Jamie, I think—were having difficulties with the dart-guns. It made more sense for them to struggle with the pistols than with the Grappler guns, but I was still unimpressed by how long it took for them to adapt to everything. Then again, I was comparing them to Crimson, who had a special ability to learn things within minutes.

While Crimson was at the manor with Blue Eyes and Red Eyes, I had been busy creating some new inventions. I had improved the Transforming-belt-sword-fighter (mom called it "the Staff-belt") so that it was much easier to use and retract. I made an Infrared-awesome-black-goggles-of-secretness (which mom had renamed "Infra-seer") that would allow the wearer to see things based on heat. My Buneary-spring-hopper-sneakers-2000 (renamed "Springer" by mom) were made so that a person could jump to higher heights if they jumped down hard enough first. It was a basic idea—the more pressure that you put down, the higher up that you would go in the air. Unfortunately, it didn't seem as if the rangers had very much balance, so often times they would end up landing on their faces.

Of course, I had foreseen how one may become bruised all over from several failed landings, so I had created the Torterra-pad-shellers (renamed "Caps" by Murph) in order to make sure that people's elbows and knees wouldn't be destroyed in the process of falling from several feet. I was currently trying to work with fabric and different chemicals to see if I could get the same effect of adding a lot of starch in water—hard on impact, soft to touch—but it had resulted in a couple more unexpected injuries.

"This sucks!" One of the rangers complained, rubbing her sore rear while scowling. "Why are we even using these things anyway? They're more harmful than helpful!" My blood boiled at her words. How many times have I seen Crimson fall hard on her butt and merely laugh it off? How many times have I almost given up on a project because I thought it was too dangerous but continued with it because Crimson told me not to give up? I was about to rip my gadgets from her hands and tell her to quit being a ranger since she was so insensitive toward my inventions when a firm, reassuring hand was placed on my shoulder. Professor Hastings gave me a small nod before walking toward the girl who had complained.

"Natalie, if you dislike these gadgets so much, then I will send you back to the Ranger Union." Seeing the look of horror on the Natalie's face, he seemed to reconsider. "Actually, I changed my mind. Mark, would you do me the favor of escorting Natalie back to the Ranger Union and making sure that the administrators know that she is forbidden to join in on this mission?" I shot a look at papa, who had quietly stepped up to my side. He leaned down to explain.

"Being dismissed from a mission like this is almost like being lowered a rank," he whispered. "Since this mission is such a big one, Professor Hastings might as well tell her that she needs to start training all over again and that she doesn't deserve any of the badges that she had advanced through to get to where she is today." His jaw clenched slightly. "Although Professor Hastings is being rather cruel with his choice to send her back just for complaining, I would've done the same in his place. This is not a mission to take light of. We're recovering four very important people, taking down an organization that threatens the safety of Pokémon, and working to improve the next generation of rangers."

Natalie was visibly shaken as Mark led her to where two Staraptors were resting. "Not to mention, this isn't just an act of dismissal—this is an act of shame. Professor Hastings is emphasizing just how important this mission is by being so cruel with his choices. I'm sure Natalie only proved to be an example," Papa continued to explain. I nodded and watched steadily as the dismissed ranger threw a venomous look in my direction. I felt papa tense beside me, but before he could say anything, Professor Hastings' voice cut in.

"One more look like that and I will not only dismiss you from this mission—but I personally will see that you are to be _demoted_. Nema has worked very hard to assist us in every way possible and I will not tolerate any disrespect." _Damn_, I thought. _Professor Hastings acts like he has eyes in the back of his head._ Natalie dropped her head, looking rather red in the face as she tried to hold back tears. I felt a twinge of sympathy for her as she and Mark quickly took off on their Staraptors. Papa sighed before patting my back and turning back to the other rangers. I saw Jamie aim uncertainly at her target before pulling the trigger and squeezing her eyes shut. _That's not how you do it!_ I thought, quickly rushing forward.

"Jamie, don't be scared of shooting." Before I even realized it, I had rested my hand on the top of the pistol and was pushing it until the barrel was pointed to the roots of a tree. The ranger lifted her eyes up to me, a mixture of fear and confusion on her face as she glanced down at her pistol and back at me. "This is not a real gun. It shoots darts and has much weaker propulsion forces than an actual pistol. Whatever you do, do not fear the dart." I took the gun from her and stepped aside to demonstrate. "Take aim…" I leveled the gun. "Stand with your feet apart slightly to brace yourself…" I shuffled my feet until I was comfortable. "And just pull."

I fired three shots in rapid succession before handing the gun back to Jamie. I stood vigilantly by her side, leading her step by step through the instructions. After I felt that she was getting the hang of it, I told her that I was going to check up on the other rangers and left her to shoot empty darts at trees. Her partner, Julian, had been watching during my explanation and was firing much more confidently than Jamie was. I stopped by Kate and Kellyn, who seemed to be sparring with their Staff-belts. They paused when I was near and smiled at me. "Have any troubles with any of the gadgets?" I asked.

"Yeah, I've been landing funny on my feet with these Springers," Kate told me, lifting up her feet to glance at the bottoms of her shoes.

"What you're supposed to do is to land on your toes first, then your heels, then knees, and you should be alright. I'm sure that the balance that you needed when flying will kick in as soon as you get the feeling for these shoes," I told her.

"And the Grapplers—what are we supposed to do once the bullet is shot? I mean, it's still attached to the gun at that point. We'll be stuck hanging on the gun and the rope if it's still lodged in there…" Kellyn glanced over at his discarded pile of Grappler guns, each with their separate "escape bullets" still attached. I picked one of them up and held it for him to see.

"Well, you press the trigger one last time and it'll come off," I told him. "But you'll need to be swinging and actually pulling on the rope for the gun to actually detach itself from the rope." I tugged hard on one side while pulling the trigger. "It's a bit hard in the beginning, but it's easy to use later on. I don't think you'll really need it in this mission, but it's a good thing to keep on hand in case something comes up." Kellyn nodded and knelt down beside the pile of Grappler guns. "If you want to reuse the Grapplers that you tested out in practice, you loop the rope around…"

* * *

"Nema, you should get some sleep soon," Professor Hastings told me as we stood at the edge of the clearing, watching as the rangers continued on with their practice. It was about sunset now, and the rangers looked exhausted but determined. Mark, who had returned quickly from his earlier trip back to the secondary Ranger Union, was firing more diligently than the others, intent on making up for his lost time. "You've slaved over these gadgets for too many nights."

"True, but I want to make sure that these people aren't hurting themselves with my inventions," I replied, clicking my tongue. "I should've recorded Crimson using these gadgets just so that they could have an actual visual of how it's done. I've worked with my Grapplers and my dart-guns, but I haven't actually tried out the Springers, Staff-belts, or Caps myself. It's always been Murph or papa trying them out. The Infra-seers are self-explanatory, but I feel like it would've been much better if I could get Crimson to demo all of this so that nobody would be too confused…"

"I'm sure that Crimson proved to be helpful with your inventions?"

"She was more than helpful. I nearly tossed some of my ideas out the window and she stopped me with suggestions. Of course, none of them really made sense, but they did give me insights on how I could improve my inventions." I chuckled, remembering how Crimson had suggested using gas filled darts that would crack open on impact. Of course, that would prove to be extremely difficult as seeing that we would have to fill darts with gas and hope that they cracked properly.

"Crimson…is one of those rangers you meet every Millennia," Professor Hastings mused. "Amazing with Pokémon and people, absolutely a joy to work with, and definitely a team player." I snorted at his earlier comment and he raised his eyebrow at me.

"I definitely agree with the last part," I told him, "but Crimson's one of a kind. You can't just group her up with the rare 'every Millennia' rangers. She's much too special for that." Professor Hastings stared off into the distance thoughtfully.

"Perhaps," he whispered. "Perhaps. Either way, I am going to insist on my earlier suggestion for you to go to bed soon." He turned to look me in the eye. "From what I hear, you and Booker have been working on some more inventions and new technology for boats and transportation vehicles. I'm sure he'll want to see you in the morning about it."

"No, we've put that project on hiatus. Right now, he and Nick are working their butts off to make sure that The Union is ready for sailing and will be all oiled up for the trip," I told him. "Since Murph was going off directions given by one of the servants that had gone on board The Union, we'll be having Suicune leading us there."

"Suicune? How is it possible that he could navigate to the island?"

"Crimson used 'Sign Mode'," I replied, breaking off to yawn. "And it turns out that Suicune came to her call. I'm pretty sure it's more than just being led to the sign though. I have a feeling that 'Sign Mode' is not just a way for them to visually find their way to Crimson, but they're also connected to Crimson in some emotional way. I mean, if you think about it, every time that Crimson was in trouble, at least one of the legendary dogs would be at her side."

"I will agree to how Crimson is constantly aided by these legendary Pokémon, but the theory that they are emotionally connected to her is something I would like to test. Would they come to her calling even if her Styler was broken?"

"That's for me to find out," I yawned, "and you to understand."

* * *

"Oh god, I can only imagine what Crimson's going through right now…" Images flashed through my head.

"Yeah. It looks like that's not the darkest part of her life right now either. I was talking to her earlier this morning about families and she had this weird look come over her face," Blue Eyes told me. "But from what I've learned from Crimson, she won't talk about things unless you press on the topic nonchalantly. It doesn't seem like she trusts me enough to open up, though."

"Any updates on Ben?"

"Red Eyes said that Ben was really dazed when he came back yesterday, but then again, Red Eyes has a rivalry with Ben."

"What, did he confess or something?" I snorted.

"Obviously, Crimson was a little too blind on the friendship side because both of us noticed. But yeah, he did confess to her and there was this awkward period between the two of them that thankfully didn't last too long."

"Sounds like Crimson. She used to called on so many times on her patrols…" I thought of the time when Crimson and I had gone off to do a patrol together. At least three or four tourists pulled her over just to chat. "And so many of the favors were stupid and absolutely ridiculous. Guys were just calling her over to talk."

"Completely understandable. From what I can see, it seems that Ambar has a thing for Crimson too."

"What?" I balked. "Damn, Crimson, I knew you were a boy magnet, but not to the point in which you have _everyone_ around you falling in love!"

"Well, she is very likable," Blue Eyes argued.

"Yeah, but 'likable' doesn't mean you have boys falling to their feet before you!"

"If anything, it's not intentional. It's just her nature to be courteous, domineering—well, ever since Ben lost his memory—, responsible, and charismatic. She stands out of the crowd without even trying."

"Do you think…Crimson is aware of the fact that three boys love her?"

"I know that she knows that Red Eyes likes her," Blue Eyes said slowly. "Whenever Ambar is around, she seems to be desperate to get him out of her room as soon as possible, so it's likely that she's aware of his feelings too. With Ben, I know that she's still pining after him, but I can't say if he's still in love with her." I sighed at her words. "Anyway, how's ranger-training going?"

"Let's just say that these rangers are nowhere as talented as Crimson," I replied, glancing out the window of my room at the rangers who were training in the front yard. "Oh look—another reason to love her."

"I told you it was inevitable," Blue Eyes reminded me, "Crimson is just that lovable. From what I know, the admins are purposely agitating the Pokémon of the garden so that it's much more dangerous for her to do the job. Of course, that doesn't stop her from getting it done. What new gadgets do you have?"

"Caps, which are kneecaps and elbow-caps. Springers, which are sneakers with a special spring on the bottom that will let you bounce if you jump down hard enough first. Then we have the Staff-belt—Crimson has one of them, let her show it to you—but it's probably easier to use than the one that Crimson has. And Infra-seer, which is a modified pair of ranger goggles that has a button that allows the user to see based on heat."

"Infra-seer sounds very useful," Blue Eyes told me. "I'm sure Crimson would like one, but it's probably very unlikely that she'll be able to get it."

"Yeah, that's true. Anyway, I have about ten other gadgets that I made that won't be used in the raid," I replied. "You see, I only trust Crimson to use them correctly, so I'm not letting these fools get a hold of them." Blue Eyes snorted at this.

"We used to call Crimson an 'okay-ranger'," she mused. "But now she's better than even the first-rate rangers." A pause. "Sounds like someone's getting closer. I'll call you back if anything comes up."

"Got it," I replied. The call was ended and I took off my headphones, setting them gently on the table beside me. I pulled up my Tracker Program (I had originally named it Super-Spyer-Hidden-Camera-System, but as usual, it was vetoed by mom) and surveyed the current situation in the manor. I skimmed through all of the different video feeds and was pleased to see that not much was going on. When I found the camera that had been relocated from the ballroom and placed in the laundry room, I noticed two of the maids with their heads close together. Immediately, I picked up my headphones and dialed Red Eyes' code number.

"Red Eyes."

"Hey, it's Nema."

"Nema? What's going on?" I heard some shuffling in the background.

"Hey, are you free right now?"

"Why?"

"Just answer the question already. If you're busy I'll call Blue Eyes."

"I have some chores to do, but they probably won't take too long. What is it?"

"Do you have any laundry to do?" I glanced back at the video feed. _Yep. They're still so close together._

"I did it yesterday, but I can grab some of Ben's extra clothes and just wash them again."

"Alright, that's good then. Head over there ASAP."

"Can I ask why I need to go to the laundry room again?"

"There's two maids standing there with their heads close together. I think it's suspicious because if they were washing a stain out, they'd be by a sink," I replied, studying the screen in front of me. "Not to mention, they've only shifted once and I've seen them standing there for at least two minutes now."

"Alright, I'm on my way." There was a rapid pitter-patter of footsteps and I leaned back in my chair, seeing Red Eyes' hurrying figure appearing in the hallway of the mansion. When he neared the laundry room, he slowed down and tried to appear nonchalant as he entered the enclosure and set down his basket of clothes. The two maids, who had both tensed and looked up at his entrance, relaxed when they recognized him and returned to their conversation.

"Hear anything?" I hissed. Red Eyes lifted his head and pressed his finger to his lips. He tapped his wrist and then pretended to put a phone to his ear. _Call you later_. "Alright." I ended the call and studied the screen in front of me as the two maids continued to chat and Red Eyes worked as nonchalantly as possible.

"Nema?" Startled, I quickly changed the window and whirled around in my chair to see mom standing there. She eyed my computer and then raised her eyebrow at me. "Nema, I want you to set up a password for your computer and then I want you to come outside and help these rangers," she told me. "After you're done with the rangers, I want you to turn your computer around so that it's facing a corner of your room."

"Alright," I replied, pulling up an already-installed security program and hastily typing in a password. Mom watched me for a couple more seconds before she turned away and headed outside again. "Stupid rangers," I grumbled as I put my computer to sleep. "Technology is meant to make your lives easier."

* * *

"I'm considering making a special branch of rangers that would respond to situations where the world is being threatened by evil organizations," Professor Hastings told us as all of the rangers set up camp.

"Don't you already have a special branch of rangers? I mean, you have the gemstone rangers," Papa pointed out.

"Well, perhaps I'll use that branch and make them into a specialized attack and defense force," Professor Hastings mused.

"And how would they differ from regular rangers?" I asked.

"Well, regular rangers are posted in different regions. They patrol the area, make sure that everything is alright, and do favors for people from time to time. Specialty rangers like the gemstone rangers are considered top-of-the-line and are often deployed to assist area rangers. But for the group of rangers that I think would be necessary to take down evil organizations like the Societa and the 'Utopia' would be trained with all of the equipment that you have created." Professor Hastings looked irritably at the rangers who dropped a flaming branch and began freaking out as the grass began to catch fire.

Papa was there in a second, smothering the flames with a fire extinguisher. "Not to mention, we need to make sure that whoever gets a hold of this technology will never use it for anything beside ranger duties. I'll have to think of another branch for them though," Professor Hastings sighed.

"Bird Pokémon?" I suggested. Professor Hastings shook his head.

"It would be horribly biased if we based it off of Pokémon," he replied. He studied me with interest. "Nema, have you decided on a name for your brand of technology?"

"Not yet," I admitted. "I have been thinking, though. The name QuickSilver sounds really attractive to me."

"QuickSilver…Special Units…" Professor Hastings looked thoughtful. "SSQS. Specialty Squadron QuickSilver. S. ." He nodded his head. "That sounds like an amazing name for both your gadgets and the new branch that I'm suggesting."

"Do you know who's going to make up your first group?"

"Crimson will undoubtedly be a part of this squadron," Professor Hastings replied immediately. "I'm sure Ben would do an amazing job in this area as well. Hopefully other rangers like Kellyn, Jamie, and Julian would be interested."

"But Crimson's already a gemstone ranger," I pointed out. "Would she lose her ranking as a Garnet Ranger then?"

"That'll be her main job," he replied. "The only time that she would be summoned for S. is if there's a mission that comes up and hopefully after the 'Utopia', there won't be many to come. She'd have the ranking of Garnet S.S. QuickSilver."

"Garnet S.S. QuickSilver ," I tested the words on my tongue. "That sounds amazing." I studied the scene before me and quickly remembered Red Eyes and our earlier advances on the two maids that had been suspiciously close together in the laundry room. "You know what? I think I'm going to incorporate the new name into all of my gadgets. I'll be in my room if you need me," I told Professor Hastings before rushing into the safety of my room. I closed the door behind me and pulled on my headphones, noting the missed call that I had gotten from Red Eyes' Stealth Communicator.

"QuickSilver Communicator," I mused. A slow smile spread across my face as I initiated a call. "Sounds absolutely amazing."

* * *

"New names?" Mom raised an eyebrow in surprise. "List them off to me."

"Alright. It's going to sound a bit repetitive because most of them incorporate the brand-name, but it's pretty cool," I gushed, giddily skimming over the list of names that I had created by combining "QuickSilver" to the original item. I took a deep breath and began.

"The dart guns are now known as QuickSilver Dart. The Caps are QuickSilver Caps; the Infra-Seers have been renamed to Infra-Silver; Springers have been given the name 'QSS'—which stands for QuickSilver Springer; Staff-belt are now Silverrod; Knock-outs are QSKO, but they'll still be called Knock-outs in general; Grappler guns have been renamed to QuickSilver Grapplers, and I decided to abbreviate the names of the dart and grappler guns to QSD or QSG." I somehow had managed to fit everything into a single breath and breathed heavily as mom scanned over the list.

"Sounds great," she told me, blue eyes twinkling as they met mine again. "Are you going to tell the Professor about your other assignments?"

"Actually, I was thinking of holding them back," I replied. "From what I've heard from Nick, the Flash-grenades are a little too effective, but he said that the adjustable darkness option that I put on the ranger goggles helps a lot. He said that it should stun an entire room of people instead of permanently blinding people—or just blinding them for a period of time—we should focus on making some that don't blind people for too long."

"And the smoke bombs?"

"Working wonderfully. But the problem is that the shell seems to be a little too hard to break open with a single throw. From what it seems, the best way to set them off is by grabbing a pistol and shooting them or hitting them with something really hard."

"Seems that'll need a bit more looking into after the rangers are done with their raid. What about the taser guns?"

"Discharging and malfunctioning more frequently than we had predicted," I replied, wincing as I remembered the time that sparks had flown everywhere in our first test. Luckily, all of us had rubber suits on and managed to avoid being electrocuted, but we quickly decided that the taser required our 100% attention and should be worked on after the raid. "We've agreed to all work on it after all of this raid business is done. After all, it's too dangerous to actually be used when most of us are focused on making sure that this mission succeeds."

"That's reasonable. Did you think of names for them?"

"Of course! For the flash-grenades, I'm thinking 'Bright-lights-without-any-shadows' would be pretty good."

"Vetoed," mom quickly cut in. "Rename."

"Well then, how about 'Exploding Gas Giants'?"

"Vetoed—but you are getting better." Mom looked thoughtful for a second. "How about Nova? QuickSilver Nova?"

"You're going to name it that regardless of whether I veto it or not," I snorted. "Moving on—smoke bombs are called 'Ninja-bombs-of-ashes-that-make-it-hard-to-see'."

"Nema…" Mom gave me an exasperated look.

"What?" I demanded. "Ninjas are cool!"

"Vetoed. QuickSilver Cover."

"What's that? A military drill?" I briefly imagined myself running quickly, grabbing silverware, and covering it. Would it be the same as a fire drill? _Stop, drop, and roll._

"Right…uh…evasion. QuickSilver Evasion?"

"Sounds better," I told her. "I'm thinking of calling the taser guns 'taser-laser-3000'."

"Vetoed," mom sighed.

"Uh…'electro-zappy-super-painful-lightning-attack' ."

"Nema, if you remember, the whole goal of your inventions is to create something that people could use against evildoers and _not_ get anyone killed. That name is very misleading."

"Then what do you think?"

"Keep it simple. Just call it 'taser'. Now you have QuickSilver Taser. QST to go with QSD and QSG. How does that sound?" I blinked.

"Huh. That actually sounds pretty cool." I frowned. "But I still like ninjas."

"You liking ninjas has nothing to do with your invention names. You can go and name some invention that you won't give to the ranger union with the word 'ninja' if you really want to."

"Oh! I got it now!" I spread my hands out in front of me, visualizing the names for the pocket eating utensils that I had originally created for Crimson. "'Ninja eating set.'" Mom groaned and I smiled broadly at her. "That's exactly what I'll call them!"

* * *

The last day was finally here. I drew a bold "x" with red ink on my calendar and stepped back to stare at the box I had just marked. _Operation Crimson Crusader will end in success if the raid goes perfectly_, I thought to myself. _But if it doesn't…_

I never had the chance to finish that thought because a knock interrupted my concentration. I looked up to see Professor Hastings standing in my doorway. "We'll be leaving in about thirty minutes or so," he told me. "Mind helping the rangers suit-up?"

"What, they can't do it themselves?" I snorted, quickly setting my pen aside and heading out the door. "They're supposed to be full-fledged and specialty rangers, right?"

"Well, some of them aren't there yet," he replied, quickly matching my brisk pace.

"That doesn't mean that they can't dress themselves," I shot back, quickly heading into my front yard. "I'll help this bunch; you help that group over there, and if you see either of my parents, tell them to help out too." I quickly headed over to Jamie and Julian, who were both adjusting their new gadgets. "Guys remember how to work the Infra-seers?"

"Yep."

"Got your Caps on?"

"Mhmm." Both rangers showed me their elbows and their knees.

"Grapplers, Dart guns, belt?" They both pointed to their waists. I mentally checked off the fact that they both had utility belts.

"Good. Murph's waiting for you on the Union by Cocona Village. We'll all be heading over there in a bit so just hold tight until we're finished checking up with everyone." They saluted me and I quickly did the same run-through with the pair of rangers beside them. I went from pair to pair—checking if they had all of their gadgets and were suited properly. I met Professor Hastings halfway, and he nodded toward my parents.

"Rand says that he's going in too," he told me. "Turns out your mom is too, but she'll be on the boat and helping with whatever is necessary."

"Got it. I'll see if I can get Nick and Booker to follow me back to my house so they can help with the directions."

"Directions?" Professor Hastings raised an eyebrow at my words. Mentally, I cursed myself.

"There's not enough time to explain," turning away from him, I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Everyone! Follow Rand and Leanne," I mentally winced at calling my parents by their names, "to Cocona Village!" I quickly joined the crowd of people, making sure to distance myself from Professor Hastings. I hadn't told him about the cameras that we had set up, and I was sure that he was going to be angry about it.

Our group of fifteen rangers and three others (including me) quickly reached Booker's house within a good five minutes. As the rangers lined up and headed onto the Union, I rushed into Booker's house. "Booker! Nick! Do you mind coming with me after all of these guys leave and help with the administrating? I'll need someone to watch over papa when he goes through the hallways."

"Get Nick," Booker told me, rushing out the door. "I'm going with the Union."

"Why?"

"I'm not lettin' the Union go into dangerous waters without my supervision!" He shouted back over his shoulder.

"He's such an overprotective parent when it comes to that ship," Nick sighed as he stepped out beside me. As more and more rangers headed onto the deck, he frowned. "Oh no! What if their ship sinks in the middle of the ocean, and none of us would find them, and then I wouldn't have a mentor anymore, and all that horrible stuff would come back to haunt us, and—"

"Nick," I groaned. "Stop. Anyway, I need you to help navigate papa through the mansion. There's a small map with all the corridors labeled*, so you don't have to worry about not knowing the mansion. It's just that papa's probably going to get lost and we need him to lead the rangers to the storage areas and the basement."

"Alright." A dark look settled on Nick's face. "But what if I lead him into the wrong area, and then he gets attacked by a lot of those minions, and then the rest of the rangers follow him into the wrong area—where there's a lot of hidden bombs—and everyone gets hurt, and it's all because of me, and then nobody would like me anymore, and everyone would say, 'oh it's that horrible guy that killed and hurt so many rangers because he was so careless' whenever they walked by my house, and—"

"Nick!" I snapped. "Daydream later!" Two figures leapt past me, and I whirled around just in time to see Raikou and Entei leap on board, startling and scattering the rangers on deck. Suicune was on the surface of the water in a flash, calling out before dashing off into the distance. There was a cry before the Union carefully began to cruise away from the dock and follow the blue Pokémon across the ocean. "Be safe!" I called out after them. I watched the ship for a couple of seconds before turning to Nick. "Alright Nick, it's time to head back to my house. I need to call Crimson ASAP."

* * *

Third Person – Oblivion

**Almost…there…**Instinct grit as he clawed his way through the dark substance surrounding him. Reason was pushing hard behind him, trying his best to push both of them to freedom.

The two of them had been lounging around as usual in their dark cell when the walls suddenly caved in. The material that had once been a hard, sturdy wall had become almost tar-like, clinging onto them and dragging them in. Instinct had flailed wildly at first; his senses overwhelmed by the desperate desire to stay alive. Reason had yelled at him and told him to calm down or else he'd sink deeper into the darkness. After Instinct managed to regain control over his emotions, the two of them advanced steadily in one direction. Instinct was in the lead, blindly clawing at whatever was in front of him, and Reason pushed the two of them on, taking great care in keeping both of them together.

**There…**Instinct's hand burst out of the substance, groping around wildly for a hold as its owner tried to pull himself out of confinement. His palm pressed up against a smooth, dark surface and he pushed hard. There was a wet sucking sound and he was suddenly tossed out of his cell with a startled yelp.

_**Instinct?**_ He heard Reason warble. **Reason, give me your hand!** Instinct yelled, thrusting his arm into the hole he had flown out of. It was rapidly closing and Instinct slapped at the substance that was covering his arm. **Over here!** A feeling of dread settled over Instinct as he heard no response and he lifted his arm to start pounding on the outside of the sphere. **Reason? **He bellowed. A hand grabbed onto his and Instinct began to tug wildly, desperately trying to pull his fellow persona out. **Just wait…I'll get you out in a second…**

The dark substance continued to close up around Instinct's arm as he pulled, firmly securing a hold around his elbow. _**Instinct, let go!**_ Instinct heard Reason call out, choking a little. If anything, the substance was filling the logical persona's mouth. **I ain't leaving without ya!** He shot back, tugging hard. The substance hardened but held the same consistency as rubber. It was hard to stretch and very hard to puncture. **Ben would never forgive me if I leave you in here and he would never forgive you for staying in there!** Instinct yelled, pulling hard. It was too late. The substance had hardened and he could feel it squeezing his arm and limiting his blood-flow. Instinct threw his head back and cursed. Bracing himself, he prepared to slam his shoulder into the sphere despite his limiting position.

**Hey Reason! Can you hear me?** He hollered, letting out little grunts of pain as he continued to throw himself against the sphere. **Reason? Reason!** With each blow, his blood chilled even further. **Hey! Don't die on me, wise-guy! **He shouted. **Don't…**Exhausted, bruised, and absolutely hopeless, Instinct paused his assault and leaned heavily against the dark, smooth surface of the orb. **…die…**

* * *

A/N: CLIFFHANGER! I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON, I KNOW!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Nema's PoV and all of the crazy things the rangers have been up to.

DUN DUN DUN! Reason and Instinct are in trouble! Ben better get his memory back soon...

*"There's a small map with all the corridors labeled" - In the game Pokemon Mystery Dungeons, there's always a small map in the corner that tells you where to go and where the different corridors in each "floor". If you guys don't know what I'm talking about then don't worry about it. It's not a really big deal.

R&R!


	19. Chapter 18

?! I thought I uploaded this chapter already! Sorry for the wait, everyone! I thought this was already posted!

WARNING: Suggestive scenes...right down below. Read if you want, but there's barely any smut.

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

_My senses overwhelmed me. Silky sheets, sweet scents, and a feeling of fulfillment flooded my body. The sunlight filtered in through the blinds, warming the duvet that pooled around my limbs. A satisfied hum left my mouth as I rolled over, blinking sleepily as a small ray of sunlight glided down my arm. I closed my eyes and let the memories from last night flood over me, tickling my senses with a mixture of embarrassment and exuberance._

_Hot, sweaty limbs had been laced together as their owners joined together in a passionate dance. Her breath tickled his cheek and his lips pressed lovingly to hers. Whispers of encouragement, love, and lust drove both of them crazy as ecstasy sent both of them far beyond the limits of humanity and mortality. When their passionate tango had concluded, their fingers were laced together firmly, her left hand laced firmly in his right with a glittering jewel decorating her third finger and what she wore around her neck._

_I stretched blissfully, pleasantly surprised when my bare arm brushed against someone else's. The bed beside me shifted and I turned to meet bright eyes and a dazzling smile. "Hey," I whispered._

"_Hey," she replied, leaning in and brushing her lips with mine. I laced my fingers with hers and pulled her on top of me. "Sleep well?"_

"_Mhmm," I hummed, nuzzling the crook of her neck and pressing kisses to the bottom of her jaw. "I was on cloud nine all night long." A red blush decorated her cheeks at my words and I smiled at her. "What are you thinking of? Something naughty?" I teased and her cheeks turned even redder._

"_Ben!" She cried out indignantly, slapping my chest gently. I laughed at the look on her face and cupped her both her cheeks in my hands._

"_I love you," I cooed, tilting her face so I could look into her eyes. The embarrassment on her face was quickly replaced with love and tenderness._

"_I love you too." Her eyes fluttered shut as she leaned in and kissed me. She pulled back with a gentle sigh. "Yesterday night felt like a dream."_

"_Huh. Should I make it reality?" I smirked as I quickly flipped the two of us over and her face flushed bright red again._

"_Ben!" A mixture of embarrassment, desire, shock, and adoration filled her eyes. I nuzzled her cheek and leaned in to give her a thorough kiss._

"_I love you, Crimson," I murmured against her lips_.

* * *

I shot up in bed, breathing heavily as I remembered the scenes the flashed through my head. _I…what…Crimson?!_ I ran a hand through my hair and noted that I was covered in sweat with a grimace. "Ughh, gross," I grumbled softly as I checked the clock beside me. _4:50 AM_, I thought to myself. _Shower now, or shower later? _I mentally weighed both sides. _I could shower now, but then I'd have to get back into these dirty sheets. I could shower later, but then I'd have to try falling asleep all sticky and uncomfortable. _I chewed on my lip, tapping my finger against the bed. _You know what? I'm taking a shower now. This is just too gross._ With a sigh, I threw off my covers and barely muffled a cry of surprise.

_Shit_, I thought to myself, quickly leaping off the bed and rushing into the bathroom. _Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!_

* * *

I seated myself in the dining room, nodding at Lewis as he leaned in to take my order. "Eggs, sausage, and waffles, please," I told him. He nodded and quickly scribbled some notes onto his notepad before heading into the kitchen. He had woken up earlier to find me staring out the window of my room. If anything, he was probably confused because he usually woke up earlier than I did. I greeted Kamran, who sat at the head of the table, as usual. Ambar entered the room seconds later and seated himself beside me.

"Mornin', Ben! How did you sleep last night?"

"Good," I told him, trying desperately to not remember the dream that I had last night. "How about you?"

"Amazing." Ambar grinned broadly at me. "I had a dream about my future and what I would've been able to accomplish in twenty years…"

Whether it was purposely or accidentally, I tuned him out the second that Lewis returned with my plate of food. "Thanks, Re—" I faltered at the words leaving my mouth. He gave me a puzzled look, although I saw the shock and fear that hid behind it. "Lewis. Why did I think your name started with an 'R'?" I quickly covered. "Must've been one of the characters that I was reading about this morning."

"Characters? You were reading earlier this morning?" Ambar looked amused at my words. "Ben, I have trouble getting up in the mornings and all you do is read."

"Good morning, Summer!" I heard Kamran call. Ambar's voice joined his father's and I ducked my head and quickly dug into my food. I felt her gaze travel over me curiously and my cheeks burned. I nearly choked on a bite of eggs and downed the orange juice that Lewis had set down for me. I felt Kamran's concerned look burning into the side of my head as I inhaled the rest of my food and shot up from my seat.

"ImsorryIforgotsomethingIhavetofinishassoonaspossi blesoIllbeleavingnowsobye!*" The words left my mouth so quickly I bet nobody understood what I said. I raced out of the dining room, taking the stairs two at a time as I headed toward my room. "Get it out of your head, get it out of your head, get it out of your head, get it out of your head," I muttered to myself over and over again as I snatched a random book off the shelves and tried to lose myself in it. "It was only a dream, it was only a dream, it was only a dream, it was only a dream…"

The opening of the door startled me and I saw Heather, Crimson's maidservant poke her head in. Her eyes flew open in a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Young Master Ben! Why aren't you at breakfast?" She pushed the door open further and set down her large laundry basket.

"There was a part of a book that I really wanted to finish," I lied quickly. Her eyebrow arched in suspicion, but she didn't say anything. I quickly shot a question back at her in defense. "What are you doing here?" I was trying hard to sound polite, but my urgency made the question sound rude and accusatory.

"I was on my way to the laundry room in order to wash Miss Summer's sheets," she replied, bowing slightly. "I was thinking that since Lewis was busy in the dining room, I would go and take your sheets as well and wash them with Miss Summer's."

"That's perfectly alright," I told her quickly. "Here, let me help." In my rush, the book tumbled to the ground and I nearly tripped over myself in a hurry to pick it up. "Sorry about that, sorta jittery in the morning. Someone might've given me coffee instead of orange juice," I laughed shakily, quickly ripping the sheets off my bed. Heather delicately slipped my pillows out of their cases and took the blanket covers off my bed. As I stuffed the sheets into the bin that she had brought with her, a question popped up in my head. "Just wondering, how many sheets do we have? I mean, it's almost like you change them every day."

"We do, Young Master Ben," Heather replied, bringing over the other covers. "There are about three sheets for every bed for the guests and the masters of the house." She tilted her head and calculated it mentally. "Thirty fine linen sheets in total. Then we have about twenty to thirty people employed here, but we only change our sheets once every week, so…"

"That's a lot of material." Heather chuckled at my words.

"Indeed," she agreed, taking the bin her arms. "Well, Young Master Ben, I will leave you to your reading. I hope you enjoy the rest of your book." She closed the door behind her and I studied the novel that I had randomly tossed onto one of the sofa cushions.

"Dear lord," I groaned, seating myself back on the couch. "What am I doing to myself?"

* * *

Third Person – Blue Eyes' PoV

"Have you noticed how suspicious Ben's been so far?" She hissed to Red Eyes, who was nonchalantly fluffing his own pillows in his quarters. "He's been very wary of other people, suspicious, jumpy, and avoiding Crimson for the majority of the morning."

"I'm happy about him avoiding Crimson," Red Eyes replied slowly, earning a glare from Blue Eyes, "but I have to say, he has been rather jittery." His red eyes narrowed suspiciously. "He almost called me 'Red Eyes' this morning at breakfast."

"Seriously?" Blue Eyes' eyes nearly popped out of her head. Red Eyes shook his head irritably.

"I don't know, but if he's remembering anything right now, he chose a crappy time to do it," Red Eye seethed. "We have a," he lowered his voice, "_raid_ that's going to happen soon and what's going to be absolutely irritating is if he blows all of our covers." He kicked at the carpet distractedly. "I'm sure that none of the rangers know us by our faces, but they've probably heard of our names by now. We don't exactly have good fame nowadays."

"But this mission is supposed to change that," Blue Eyes told him. "For the better." He looked at her doubtfully, but she couldn't say anything more to reassure him. _You're not the only one, Red Eyes_, she thought. _I'm having my doubts too. _"Knowing Crimson, she's probably going to do whatever she can to help us, though." Red Eyes still looked unconvinced, but he nodded. "Is Ben sparring today?"

"No idea," Red Eyes replied, exiting his quarters. "Let's go into Miss Summer's room and dust off her furniture," he said calmly as they entered the hallway. When they were safe in the confines of Crimson's room, Red Eyes beckoned Blue Eyes over to the balcony and the two of them squinted until they could make out two figures in the courtyard. "Huh. Doesn't look like him. Did Crimson say anything today about sparring?"

"Well, she didn't tell me if she wasn't going to go or not, if that's what you mean," Blue Eyes replied. "That looks like the Mistress, and I'm pretty sure that the other one's Crimson." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Where could Ben be?"

"Beats me," Red Eyes replied, resting his arms against the balcony. "I woke up this morning and I saw him sitting in a corner reading a book by a small lamplight. From what I've learned, he usually wakes up around seven or seven thirty."

"When did you find him?"

"Six to six fifteen."

"Huh."

"Yeah. You know, Ben came in yesterday all dazed and whatnot. Do you know what happened to him?" Blue Eyes hesitated before replying.

"As you know, Crimson and Alisha sparred yesterday morning," she began. Red Eyes nodded. "But it turns out that Alisha had planned it to be sort of a conditional fight. When Crimson won, Alisha said something to her that was probably referring to Ben. Something like, 'he's all yours'. She was probably thinking that if she lost, she would give up on Ben and if she won, she would continue to fight with Crimson for Ben's affections."

"Girls," Red Eyes snorted. Blue Eyes shot him a look. "But that still doesn't explain Ben's behavior."

"Well…Crimson and I went out here," Blue Eyes nodded to balcony, "and we saw Alisha and Ben alone in the courtyard. It looked like…she was kissing him."

"Well, that makes the whole situation that much more complicated," Red Eyes mused.

"That's the thing—Crimson couldn't sleep very well last night. Alisha told her that she was giving up on Ben, but then she goes and kisses Ben in the courtyard. I'm sure that Crimson's having a hard time believing Alisha's words right now."

"But then would it be the idea that Ben was torn between Alisha and Crimson?"

"Believe me, if I were Ben, I'd throw away Alisha _for_ Crimson." Red Eyes snorted in amusement at Blue Eyes' words. "But I'm sure it's something else."

"Something else, huh?" Red Eyes shifted his weight. "Anyway, Nema caught me yesterday while I was working in Ben's room and told me to go to the laundry room. I found two maids with their heads close together, and I listened in on their conversation, thinking that they had some more info on the whole moving business, but…"

"But?" Blue Eyes prompted.

"They were gossiping about Ben and Ambar. They were comparing them and it turns out that Ambar is quite the lady-killer."

"And I'm sure you reported all of this to Nema."

"Yep. She was pretty upset with the results though. She was probably hoping for something big."

"Well, should we tell her about Ben's behavior lately," Blue Eyes sighed. "Tell you what—I'll call Nema and you can go subtly look for Ben."

"Why am I stuck with Ben?" Red Eyes scowled at her.

"Well, it makes more sense to have his own butler follow him around than 'Miss Summer's' maidservant," Blue Eyes reminded him.

"Fine," he groaned, heading for the door. "I'll call you as soon as I find him."

* * *

Third Person – Ambar's PoV

The dark skinned boy stretched languidly from where he sat, surrounded by business reports and books. His fingers ached from writing with a neat, uniform, and old-fashion script that appealed to the eyes and gave off a feeling of eloquence. He leaned back in his office chair and thought about what had happened at breakfast this morning. Ben had been extremely jittery and bolted minutes after Summer had arrived to the dining room. Alisha hadn't asked for Ben the second that she noticed that he was gone from the table and acted as if she had nothing to do with him. Otherwise, everything else had gone as normal besides Summer's rather…mechanical movements at the breakfast table.

_Something must've happened between the two of them_, Ambar thought. _I know that Alisha and Summer had been sparing yesterday—and Summer looked completely beat up. But why would Ben act so suspiciously after their fight? Was it about him?_ A feeling of jealousy brewed in the pit of his stomach. Ambar shook his head with a feeling of bitter amusement. Just the thought of Summer fighting for Ben's affection drove him absolutely wild with envy. He knew of her feelings for the brown haired boy, but he didn't know if she loved him enough to fight with Alisha for him. _Ah, this makes my fight to win her affection seem absolutely useless_, he mused. _If I weren't born a businessman and a negotiator, I would've given up by now._

Regardless of whether she would return her affections at this moment, Ambar reassured and comforted himself with the thought that her heart, in time, would turn in his direction. That was what he knew of women—they were fickle and petty until they found the person that they believed would be their life partner. But even then, if the pieces didn't fit together correctly, they'd plead and whine and bitch until the object of their affections sent them away or finally caved into their affections. Women were unlike men in that manner just as businessmen were completely different from other men—businessmen were taught to take risks and use tricks in order to get what they want. Those who were not good at business often failed to win their prize.

Women were more mentally structured to be like mazes—they seem one way one day and they seem completely different the next. One day, their heart would be open to the taking by an unknown figure with a heroic figure and the next they would reach out to someone unattainable and far beyond their grasps. Regular men took their chances and often played out all of their cards before the real game began. True businessmen, however, waited like Arboks until they right moment to strike. Ambar twirled his pen in his fingers, smiling as he continued to compare regular men with businessmen. Yes, he believed that he had the blood of generations of successful businessmen in his veins. He knew he was good at persuading people into doing things and how charismatic he was.

Although Summer's heart was undoubtedly facing Ben's direction at the moment, Ambar was thoroughly convinced that it would soon turn to him. _I know I'm good with women_, he thought. _And I know that I'm good at persuading other people to do things I want them to…_With a frustrated sigh, he leaned back into his chair and stared at the ceiling. _What's making it so difficult for Crimson to see things my way?_ He chewed his lip thoughtfully. _Then again, it's only a matter of time…_

* * *

Third Person – Blue Eyes' PoV

"He _what_?" Crimson balked when she returned to take a quick shower before lunch.

"Well, that's what Red Eyes said," Blue Eyes replied, gently sponging down Crimson's back. She was currently telling the ranger of Ben's near identification of Red Eyes. "It seems that Ben's getting his memory back soon—and at the worst part too!"

"Oh god," Crimson groaned, resting her head against the rim of the tub. "I want Ben to get his memory back, but I want to make sure that this mission is a success too!" A question flickered through Blue Eyes' head and she thought it over quickly before voicing it.

"Crimson, if you had to choose between having Ben's memory back and the mission succeeding, which one would you choose?"

"Seriously?" The ranger spluttered. When Blue Eyes' gaze didn't waver, the brunette let out a sigh and studied the tiled ceiling. "Of course I'd want the mission to succeed," she whispered. A twinge of disappointment went through Blue Eyes. It seemed that Crimson treasured her missions more than she treasured her relationships. If she was willing to have something happen _over _Ben, then what was stopping her from doing the same to Blue Eyes? However, there was a tiny light of hope floating around in Blue Eyes' heart at the hesitance in Crimson's voice. "But I can't bear to lose Ben either. If I really had to choose…"

That torn look on Crimson's face broke Blue Eyes' heart, but she stood her ground. "…I'd choose Ben," Crimson concluded. A flood of relief and horror washed over Blue Eyes. "I know everyone at the ranger union would be let down and everything, but…" Crimson's blue eyes became steely and hard. "With Ben at my side, I can just as easily take down the 'Utopia'."

"And if it was someone other than Ben, like Red Eyes or I?" Blue Eyes quietly murmured, soaping down Crimson's arms.

"I'd do the same," she replied. "You three are irreplaceable in my life. I'd choose your safety over mine in a second. Organizations may threaten the world, but there is one lesson that my dad told me that sticks to me till today." There was a look of pain in Crimson's eyes, but she continued. "'Take down the head and there will be no one better to replace him. Take down the minions, and you'll be left to fight until eternity.'" Crimson bowed her head.

"Your father sounds like a smart man," Blue Eyes offered. Crimson let out a bitter laugh as the blonde girl turned on the showerhead and began rinsing the ranger off.

"My father was an amazing man," Crimson replied. "And I want to follow in his footsteps." Blue Eyes said nothing as she continued to rinse Crimson down. The ranger's way of referring to her father in past tense was confusing—was he no longer an amazing man, or was he no longer on this earth? But the hard look in Crimson's eyes made Blue Eyes decide not to press on the subject any further. _Crimson's not just an amazing person,_ Blue Eyes thought. _She probably has a very dark past. The thing is…how did she manage to keep standing while I fell to my knees?_ Blue Eyes studied the ranger as she dried herself off and reached for her change of clothing. _Crimson…you have no idea how much I admire you right now._

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

After Blue Eyes revealed what had happened at the breakfast table during my before-lunch shower, I felt like I was hovering over the edge of a cliff. _Ben's getting his memory back sooner than expected…But this mission's going to conclude sometime tonight,_ I thought worriedly to myself. _This is not good!_ I groaned as I quickly headed down the staircase.

After lunch, I was going to go for a patrol around the entire manor and then have the entire afternoon free until dinner. If anything, I was probably going to ask Blue Eyes to bring my dinner up for me so I could wait in preparation for Nema's call. _Today's a busy, busy day_, I thought as I headed down the main hallway.

"Good afternoon, Crimson!" Mrs. Sarin greeted. I scanned the dining room and realized that the rest of her family was missing. "If you're wondering where everyone is, they've decided to go and have a picnic today in the gardens. I'm just bringing over some extra beverages in case there aren't enough." Immediately, a servant appeared at her side.

"Mistress Sarin, I can take that over there for you," he started at first, but Mrs. Sarin waved him off.

"Oh don't worry about it," she said, "I have to act like a mother from time to time, you know." She picked up her loaded tray and shot a wink at me. "Summer, do you mind holding the door for me? I don't think I'll be able to with this in my hands."

"No problem." I quickly rushed to hold open the door and kept a steady eye on the drinks that were balanced on the tray. The two of us headed to the courtyard—Mrs. Sarin spilling a drop or two on the way—and reached the clearing where everyone else was seated. I quickly took in the different seating arrangements. Alisha sat on the right of Shanti, who was bordered by Marut, Ben, and Ambar. Ambar paused in his discussion with his father and waved me over, scooting to the side and patting the space between him and Ben. I helped Mrs. Sarin set down her tray before gently picking my way over to sit between Ben and Ambar.

"How was practice?" Ambar asked as I seated myself. It was his usual greeting whenever he saw me—although varying when it came to patrols or combat practice.

"Good," I replied—the usual answer. "Warmed up pretty nicely and had a great spar with Mrs. Sarin." Ambar's mother beamed from where she had seated herself—between Alisha and her husband.

"I should join you two sometimes," Ambar said, nodding a thanks to the servants who immediately swarmed over and began filling our plates. Red Eyes leaned over to place food on Ben's plate and I glanced hesitantly at the other servants who were dishing food onto the other plates. _Were we supposed to have our personal maidservants here to serve food to us? _I thought worriedly to myself. _Oh, I should've told Blue Eyes!_ If anything, I didn't trust any of the other servants with my food—besides Red Eyes, of course.

As if he was aware of my current dilemma, I saw him quickly finish arranging food on Ben's plate before leaning over and starting to fill mine. He ducked his head and pretended to be focusing hard on scooping the perfect amounts of food onto my plate. "Room, after patrol," he hissed before handing me my plate and ceremoniously pouring me some orange juice. He retreated a respectful distance as I began to dig into the food.

"Amazing," Ambar moaned softly in appreciation. "Send my compliments to the chef." I noticed that he was sampling some of the chicken and took a small bite of it. I closed my eyes to savor the tangy and rich flavor of the meat.

"Unfortunately, this time I didn't make it," Mrs. Sarin sighed, popping a forkful into her mouth. Chewing quickly and swallowing, she continued; "I was too busy practicing with Summer that I just didn't have a chance to set foot into the kitchen!"

"Rashmi, would you like to cook the dinner for tonight?" Mr. Sarin prompted, an amused look on his face.

"That would be amazing," she agreed, "if the cooks and the servants could only leave me alone to make it!" She set down her plate and clapped her hands twice. "I know! I'll have Alisha and Summer help me tonight. How does that sound, girls?" She turned her bright, expectant eyes toward us. Alisha nodded her approval, but I was cornered. _Tonight's the night of the raid,_ I thought hopelessly to myself. _To reject her offer would be rude, but I need to be ready at all times in case something comes up…_ "Summer?"

"Well, I'm not sure," I babbled. "You see, I'm not the best cook…"

"But didn't you make that amazing meat dish the last time that we ate over at Weber's house?" Ambar asked, raising an eyebrow at me. _Crap_, I thought, _he still remembers that?_

"I only did the seasoning," I lied, "Nema did the cooking."

"Well then, you can help us with the seasoning," Mrs. Sarin told me.

"I'm not sure if I know how to cook dishes that are traditional to your family…"

"Oh, I'm sure that there's nothing wrong with that! It won't be the end of the world if we stray away from tradition!" Mrs. Sarin flicked her wrist, rolling her eyes with amusement. I fiddled nervously with my fork and mentally cursed myself. _Crimson, you're supposed to dig yourself out!_ I growled inwardly. _Not dig yourself further in!_ From the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Sarin shoot me a sympathetic look and reached over to touch his wife's shoulder.

"Rashmi, I think—"

"Actually, Crimson offered to help me with a research paper," Ben suddenly burst out, cutting off Mr. Sarin. "You see, I've been really interested with the book that I was reading earlier, and I thought I'd look into the science of how some Pokémon adapt to their different surroundings. I mean, if you look at the Ratattas populations from thirty years ago and then look at the numbers now, you'll see a sudden rise. I was having a hard time getting the general characteristics and behaviors of Ratattas from the book I was reading so I wanted to get Crimson's perspective and her own experience with the Pokémon."

"I'm sorry," I told Mrs. Sarin. "But I did promise Ben that I'd help him on his research paper." She had looked fairly surprised when Ben suddenly began talking about adaptations and whatnot, but she still looked slightly unconvinced even when I had agreed with him.

"Well, then I guess that's settled," Mr. Sarin cut in, effectively ending the tension between us. "Summer will go and help Ben on his research paper and Alisha will help Rashmi in the kitchen tonight. Marut and Shanti, I expect you to help your mother and your sister set the table as soon as you finish with your studies tonight. Ambar, you will be working for a little longer with me in the office; there are still a couple stacks of paper that still need to be sorted through." A slightly pained look flashed through Ambar's eyes for a split second, but he smiled convincingly at his father. Mr. Sarin turned to me, a gentle smile on his face. "Summer, Ben, every three months or so, we have a family…sleepover of some sort. We haven't been doing it lately since it's only been a couple of months since we've moved into the manor, but we're thinking about holding one tonight. There's a huge room upstairs on the third floor that'll be filled with sleeping bags and cushions. Would you like to join us?"

"That sounds great," I told him, although the small voice in the back of my head continued to insistently remind me that the raid was going to take place sometime tonight. _Well I can't just say no again_, I thought to myself. _After all, I've already rejected them once today. Any more rejections and I'll start looking very suspicious…_I stared back down at my plate, suddenly losing my appetite. It wasn't about the family night or the fact that the raid was going to happen tonight, but rather…_I'm going to be stuck with Ben as soon as I'm done talking to Red Eyes and doing my afternoon patrol…_I thought to myself. _…Shit._

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

I was torn between yelling at Ambar and cursing myself as my friend waved Crimson over to where we were sitting. I had made sure to avoid both Crimson and Lewis as much as possible throughout the period of the day, but it seemed like mealtime was the only time I couldn't avoid them. At first, I had planned to ask Lewis to bring up some lunch for me, but when I had actually gone looking for him, Ambar had caught me by the arm and told me we were having a picnic in the courtyard today. Crimson gave me a smile as she seated herself down, and I forced a quick grin onto my face. When Rashmi was finally settled down, I felt Lewis lean over and begin spooning food onto my plate. From the corner of my eye, I saw Crimson look around worriedly.

I lifted my head and studied my surroundings, realizing that every person had someone serving them _except_ for Crimson. Pity washed over me as I watched Crimson look around fearfully, as if she were afraid of something. Suddenly, Lewis' presence above me disappeared, and I turned to see him spooning food onto Crimson's plate just as he had done to mine. I felt a rush of pride and respect for Lewis at his actions. Relieved, I lowered my head and began to tuck into the food on my plate.

"Amazing. Send my compliments to the chef." I looked up just in time to see Ambar take another hearty bite of chicken and Crimson chewing blissfully on her own mouthful. Smiling, I took another bite of the seasoned rice on my plate and pushed my food around.

"Unfortunately, I didn't make it this time." Rashmi regarded the food in front of her with a look of begrudging respect. "I was too busy practicing with Summer that I didn't have a chance to even set foot into the kitchen!"

"Rashmi, would you like to cook the dinner for tonight?" Kamran asked immediately, soothing his wife's irritation. The wry smile on his face, however, told me that he enjoyed his wife's antics very much."

"That would be amazing," Rashmi agreed, "if the cooks and servants could only leave me alone to do it!" There was a chorus of laughter at her words. "I know! I'll have Alisha and Summer help me tonight. How does that sound girls?" My eyes flickered to Alisha who nodded nonchalantly and took another delicate bite of fruit salad. When I turned to glance at Crimson, however, I was immediately concerned by the distracted look in her eyes. She chewed on her lip, eyebrows furrowing slightly as she stabbed at a piece of celery on her plate. Rashmi raised her eyebrow. "Summer?" The brown hair girl jolted upright at her name, getting a Stantler-in-headlights kind of look.

"Well I'm not sure. I'm not the best cook, you see…" She babbled. My eyebrow twitched at her words. An excuse.

"But didn't make that _amazing_ meat dish the last time that we ate over at Weber's house?" Ambar pointed out. If anything, Crimson's panicked look grew even more nervous.

"I only did the seasoning," she quickly said. "Nema did the cooking."

"Well then, you can help us with the seasoning," Rashmi told her.

"I'm not sure if I know how to cook dishes that are traditional to your family…" Another excuse. What was Crimson trying to achieve?

"Oh, I'm sure that there's nothing wrong with that! It won't be the end of the world if we stray away from tradition!" Rashmi brushed her off. Crimson fiddled with her fork, looking even more and more uncomfortable with each heavy second. I heard Kamran sigh.

"Rashmi, I think—"

"Actually, Crimson offered to help me with a research paper." _Crap. Stupid mouth—who told you to talk?! _I demanded. However, at the surprised looks on everyone else's faces, I knew I had to continue. "You see, I've been really interested with the book that I was reading earlier, and I thought I'd look into the science of how some Pokémon adapt to their different surroundings." _Crap, example, example! They don't look convinced!_ "I mean, if you look at the Ratattas populations from thirty years ago and then look at the numbers now, you'll see a sudden rise. I was having a hard time getting the general characteristics and behaviors of Ratattas from the book I was reading so I wanted to get Crimson's perspective and her own experience with the Pokémon." By now, Crimson had quickly caught onto what I was saying.

"I'm sorry," she told Rashmi. "But I did promise Ben that I'd help him on his research paper." Rashmi still looked unconvinced as she glanced back between Crimson and I, but Kamran quickly cut the tension with his voice.

"Well, then I guess that's settled. Summer will go and help Ben on his research paper and Alisha will help Rashmi in the kitchen tonight. Marut and Shanti, I expect you to help your mother and your sister set the table as soon as you finish with your studies tonight. Ambar, you will be working for a little longer with me in the office; there are still a couple stacks of paper that still need to be sorted through." I saw Ambar wince from the corner of my eye and couldn't help but smile. Kamran turned to face Crimson and I. "Summer, Ben, every three months or so, we have a family…sleepover of some sort. We haven't been doing it lately since it's only been a couple of months since we've moved into the manor, but we're thinking about holding one tonight. There's a huge room upstairs on the third floor that'll be filled with sleeping bags and cushions. Would you like to join us?"

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

"It was planned," Blue Eyes growled, her eyes narrowing menacingly. "_It was planned_."

"From what I know, it was probably Shanti's maidservant who suggested it. I think the whole plan was to make sure that you couldn't be there for Crimson," Red Eyes told her. "Not to mention, it was much easier for someone to slip her some slow-acting poison. Thank god I got to her in time."

"As much as I like this explanation," I cut in, "I really don't appreciate being referred to in third person."

"All that I know is that the administrators are getting more and more daring now that the move is coming up. From what I know, they'll start packing early in the morning when people are less likely to be awake," Red Eyes murmured.

"Well then, better tell Nema that we don't have any time to spare." I nodded to the two of them. "If you don't mind me, I'm going to 'help Ben with his report on Pokémon adaptation'." Red Eyes raised an eyebrow at me.

"You're really going to do it?"

"Sorta have to now," I sighed. "From what I know, Mr. Sarin's interested in reading it."

* * *

As planned, Blue Eyes had taken my dinner up to my room and I took care in eating it slowly. The last thing that I wanted was for Nema to call me and get a stomach cramp in the middle of the raid. My excuse for eating in my room was that my stomach was 'hurting' again and that I would have to 'reluctantly' withdraw my agreement to go to the Sarin family's family night. Blue Eyes and I spent at least three hours just waiting around in my room—checking that I had all of my things with me, making sure that Blue Eyes knew where Rand was going to, and checking in with Red Eyes from time to time to see if anything was going on from where he was posted in the family room.

When the clock on my Styler finally hit ten, I let out a long sigh and got up. "Blue Eyes, I'm going down to the garden. I can't just…" I gestured to where she was lounging. "…do this for the next couple of hours until Nema calls. I need a walk."

"Alright. Be careful," she called after me. I walked down the hallway and headed downstairs. The earlier 'science report' with Ben was awkward and absolutely unnecessary. _Not to mention, the tension was so thick that you could've spread it onto a piece of bread and called it butter_, I thought bitterly to myself. I walked to the lake and leaned against one of the willows on its banks. A long sigh left me as I studied the pattern of the moon on the rippling water—probably disturbed from time to time by a slumbering water Pokémon.

A twig snapped from behind me and I whirled around, hackles raised and hands reaching for the dart gun that I had tucked into the back of my pants. A familiar pair of brown eyes met mine and I relaxed, carefully resting my arms at my sides. "Ben." He watched me with a haunted look in his eyes. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with the others?" He said nothing as he took another step forward, the Adam's apple at his throat bobbed as he swallowed. Unconsciously, my eyes followed the movement before guiltily flickering back up to his eyes. "Ben?" I breathed, unable to hide the intimidation that I felt.

"Who are you?" His voice was hoarse and his eyes looked broken. "Who are you?" He repeated, taking another step forward. Startled, I took a step back and stumbled on a willow root. _Crimson_, I scolded myself_, stupid move to stand next to a tree_. My back was now pressed up against the trunk of the willow. _Now you're cornered._

"What are you saying, Ben?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light. "I'm Crimson."

"Not that," he growled, slamming his hands against the willow tree, pinning me against it. "Who are you to me?" His brown eyes raked over my face desperately, filled with confusion, bitterness, and pain. "Just _who are you?_"

I was at a loss for words. If I told him now, the mission would be ruined. If I told him now, I would destroy the relationship that I had worked so hard to rebuild with him. If I told him now…there'd be no telling what he'd do. _But you still want to_, a little voice said in my head. _You want him to remember you_. For seconds I was torn, staring helplessly up at him as my body refused to respond. _You have no choice, Crimson. Do it for the mission._ After a couple of tries, I found my voice again, but the emotion that came out was unexpected and broken. "I can't tell you," I choked out. "I can't…"

"_Why_?" He demanded, digging his nails into the bark on either sides of my face. A feeling of terror and helplessness washed over me. A grimace appeared on his face. "Why…" He suddenly cut himself off, turning his face away from me. _Look at me_, I begged inwardly. _Ben, I'm sorry. Please…I need you to understand without any explanations. Ben…_ "Do you know," he grit, "what you do to me?" He whipped his head around and stared me straight in the eyes. "_DO YOU KNOW?_" He roared. I flinched at his outburst and my hand immediately reached for the Knock-out darts that I had in one of my belt compartments. The sudden anger in his eyes died down and he stared at me, back to his broken and lost appearance. "Why can't I remember you?" He whispered softly. "Why can't I remember you even when you haunt me in my dreams? Tell me, Crimson."

I shook my head wildly and the look in his eyes grew darker, more desperate. "Tell me," he pleaded. I looked back up at his brown eyes and before I knew it, he had pressed himself up fully against me, pulling me into a forceful kiss. I gasped as he grabbed my face and tilted it upwards for better access. _Crimson! Stay strong! Don't let his kisses deter you from your mission! Crimson!_ It was a battle fought in vain. I couldn't stand up against Ben's kisses—especially since tonight seemed like the closest he would ever get to being back to normal. I closed my eyes, drowned out the voice that was pleading desperately to me in my mind, and surrendered myself to Ben.

But just as quickly as it seemed to have happened, it stopped. I saw pain, regret, and bitterness in Ben's eyes before he turned away sharply and left me staring after him. _Call out to him. Call out to him—please! It's the only way he'll stay…_I shook my head slowly, choking back a sob as I took a face-first dive into reality. _It's too late_, I thought. _I chose the mission over him. It's up to him now…_I slumped down the willow trunk, staring distractedly in the direction that Ben had taken off. _What…?_

A shrill beeping noise knocked me out of my stupor and I scrambled for the dog tags on my neck for my mike. "Crimson!"

"Crimson, it's Nema. I called papa just a couple of minutes ago and they can see the island right now. From what I know, the aerial flights are being deployed right now. Call Latias and Suicune immediately!"

"Got it!" Slapping myself hard on both cheeks, I pulled myself out of my daze. _The raid is on, Crimson_, I thought bitterly to myself. _You chose to be a ranger on this mission…so you better see it through._

* * *

I could hear doors being kicked open as I raced into the manor and up the stairs. I was about to race into my bedroom to grab Blue Eyes when I suddenly heard her scream being muffled by a door. Moonlight poured into the large window that illuminated the hallway and I saw light flooding out from underneath Ambar's door. It was the only room that was actually lit up.

I ran over to his door and pulled hard on the knob, only to realize that it was locked. I heard Blue Eyes scream again and I took a couple of steps away from the door. Bracing myself, I charged forward and slammed my shoulder against the door. It didn't give.

I launched myself at the door again and it burst open under my force. Breathless and slightly winded, I stared in horror at the scene in front of me. Blue Eyes was pinned to the ground by a man and was pushing hard at his arms. I saw the cold glint of metal and realized that he was holding a knife against her. When I turned to look at Ambar, I saw him holding onto—another me?! "Ah, ah, ah." I felt a cold blade press up against my neck. Turning my head slightly to the side, I saw one of the maids smiling gently at me. However, when she noticed my face, a shocked look flickered through her green eyes. With a start, I recognized her. She was the other maid that Mrs. Sarin had brought to me when she told me to choose a maidservant. _Lauren_.

She pushed me into the room, kneeing me in the back and holding her blade steady at my neck. "Ambar!" The dark haired boy lifted his head and stared at her, confusion filling his glazed eyes. _Who's impersonating me?_ I thought wildly, trying to keep calm under the cold metal edge. "There are two of them!"

"I'm the real one!" I shouted. _Who would be stupid enough to impersonate me right now?_ When the girl in Ambar's arms turned to face me, the realization hit me straight on. _Alabaster._ My beloved Ditto had revealed his secret. "I'm the real one," I breathed. "That person is an impersonator."

"Prove it," Lauren growled, pressing hard enough that I felt my skin break under the knife blade.

"I have the Styler," I hissed. "Voice Nav. recognition!" Immediately, Voice Nav. spoke up.

"Recognition confirmed."

"Give her here. And take this one." Ambar threw aside Alabaster, who hit the ground hard. I was roughly shoved into Ambar's arms and Alabaster was automatically pinned down by Lauren. "Summer," Ambar breathed roughly against my cheek.

"Ambar, what's going on here?" I demanded, struggling against his arms.

"He can't hear you, girly," Lauren called. I twisted my head around to see a sneer on her face. "All he can think of is how much he wants to possess you." _What?_ I snapped my head back around to stare at Ambar. "Have fun…Ranger."

As if my title was the cue, he buried his face into the crook of my neck. I stiffened in his arms, immediately washed over by a wave of fear. _No,_ I thought desperately, _not Bridges again. _"Alabaster!" I struggled wildly in Ambar's arms. "Achilles!" I heard a scream from behind me and I twisted my face slightly to see a Machoke throwing Lauren against the wall. _Thank god Alabaster memorized all of Zenith's Pokémon._ "Help Blue Eyes!"

Teeth nipped against my collarbone, as if punishing me for looking away. I growled as I stared back down at Ambar's eyes, which were dark with anger and obsession. "Ambar," I warned as his hands pressed me up further against him. Even with Lauren down, it seemed that he wouldn't be freed from his spell. I felt his fingers skirt under the hem of my shirt and I twisted wildly, trying my best to get out of his arms. "Don't make me do this," I warned, pushing hard against chest. Behind me, I could hear Blue Eyes screaming again and Alabaster crying out in fury.

Ambar's dark eyes were unwavering as his hands traveled up further. A shiver of fear went through me, and he surged upwards, mouth parted as one of his hands clasped the back of my neck. Just as his lips were about to touch mine, a frozen look appeared in his eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "But I can't let you ruin this mission." I pulled the dart out of his side and kicked him off of me. Ambar collapsed in a heap on the floor, a blank, almost betrayed look on his face.

When I turned around, I saw Blue eyes and Alabaster still struggling with the remaining man. There were cuts all over Alabaster's arms and chest, but the Ditto continued to throw punches at the man. The butler brandished his knife threateningly and was about to charge at Alabaster when I pulled my dart gun out of the waist of my pants and fired a shot at him. Lunging forward, Blue Eyes ripped the knife out of his hands and kicked it under Ambar's bed. She looked up at me, breathless, horrified, and dazed. "I'm going downstairs to help in the raid," I told her. "I need you to watch Ambar and make sure that none of the other servants come in and try to take him prisoner. I'll leave Alabaster with you so that he can help you fight them off. Call Rand as soon as you can and tell him where to go."

I turned around to run out the door, but Blue Eyes' voice froze me in my tracks. "Be careful," she called after me.

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

A/N: AHAH! Were you expecting that?

I know what you guys are probably thinking about at this time: AMBAR'S SUCH AN ASSHOLE! I didn't know how to incorporate it properly in the story, so if any of you guys missed what I was getting at, Ambar's drugged in the last scene. Or at least, he's hypnotized in some way.

The raid is up next! Since I didn't post this chapter as early as I thought I had, the raid will be posted today as well.

R&R!


	20. Chapter 19

THE RAID IS ON!

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON

* * *

I raced down the stairs to the sound of windows being smashed and small explosions echoing all around the manor. _Somehow, raiding the manor seems to include destroying it_, I grumbled inwardly. In the six or so months that I had been staying with the Sarin family, I had grown very attached to the gardens and my room. _Call Nema!_ I grabbed my mike and quickly clicked the call button when the speaker read off my first contact. The line buzzed for a couple of seconds before finally connecting.

"Hey Crimson," Nema's voice filled my speakers. "Need directions?"

"Definitely," I told her. "Who's in charge of leading the rangers to the storage area?"

"Nick's directing papa there right now," she replied. "I will need you to join the rangers who are attacking from above, though. From what it looks like, the servants' quarters are empty. I'm going to direct you to a small group of rangers who are supposed to be hanging around the main hallway. You can get them to take care of anything that comes up."

"Great. I'll probably send them in to go and save Ambar and Blue Eyes," I told her, climbing down the stairs quickly.

"Blue Eyes and Ambar? Isn't Blue Eyes supposed to be with papa by now?"

"We experienced some difficulties." I rounded the corner and saw the group of rangers that Nema was telling me about. "Sergeant Blue, I've seen the rangers. I'll call out to them now." I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Rangers! This is Garnet Ranger Crimson calling out. Do not shoot! I repeat: do not shoot!" There were a total of three rangers were pointing what looked like dart guns—_when did Nema make more copies of those—_at me. When I got closer to them, they lowered their guns and relaxed.

"Crimson," Kellyn greeted. Kate flicked the safety back onto her gun and Phyllis—another ranger—smiled at me. "According to explosions I hear all around me, the raid's going pretty well."

"The manor is falling," I agreed, "but I have a task for you to do. I'm going to run through the gardens and make sure that none of the garden Pokémon are injured by the explosions. I need you guys to go up and rescue two people upstairs—they're by the door closest to the hallway by an entire corridor of rooms—and take them back to the Union. Call out to them first and tell them that you are rangers or else you'll be blasted in the face by an angry Pokémon."

"Two people? I'm sure only two of us are needed for the job then," Kate said.

"One of them is a nineteen-year-old boy who probably isn't as light as a feather," I warned, "but the Pokémon with them is a Ditto. If you ask the girl who's up there with him, she might be able to coax the Pokémon into transforming into a Machoke or something so that you can get her out."

"I'll help you in the gardens," Kellyn offered.

"That would be amazing. Alright, you two run upstairs and rescue the two people. Mind you—one of them is in a maid's uniform, but whatever you do, _don't shoot her_. She was working as a spy for us during the mission." I nodded to Phyllis and Kate before leading Kellyn over to the gardens. "There's a large lake in the middle of the backyard," I told him. "I need you to go in and check up on the water Pokémon in the lake. They're probably very agitated right now, but I'm sure that you can handle all of them while I check on all the other Pokémon in the gardens." The brown haired ranger nodded before taking off in the direction that I pointed him in. "Nema, you still there?" I asked as I entered the maze of rosebushes.

"Mhmm. Thank god none of those rangers know what Blue Eyes look like. They might go against your orders if they saw her."

"That's something I'd rather not see happen," I told her. "I'll be done here in about five minutes or so, if I hurry."

"Do what you can," Nema told me. "Just don't tire yourself out. By the way, where's the rest of the family? I don't see any of the family members freaking out and you told the other rangers that there was only two people upstairs…"

"Crap! I forgot all about the family night thing!" I slapped myself on the forehead. "They're having a family night and all of them should've been upstairs!"

"Upstairs?" Nema yelped. "Which floor?"

"Third. Look—call me back in a couple of minutes. I'll take care of the garden while you call Red Eyes. He's the only one up there!"

"Got it. See you in a bit."

* * *

Third Person – Blue Eyes' PoV

Blue Eyes curled protectively over Ambar, hovering over the boy whose head was in her lap. She heard footsteps pounding up the stairs, and she braced herself for the people who were going to burst through the door. "Alabaster, get ready," she hissed to the Pokémon beside her. The Ditto had transformed into an Arcanine and was baring its fangs. If anything, the Ditto was probably ready to unleash a strong blast of fire at whoever entered. She tightened her grip on the knife in her hands and eyed the door warily. However it was had stopped right in front of it.

"Is anyone in there?" A voice called out. Blue Eyes felt herself relax at first but quickly pulled herself back into a defensive position. It wasn't a voice that she recognized before, but then again, she hadn't been very social with the other servants around the manor. "Please do not panic; we are rangers. Please do not panic." _Is this some kind of ploy to get me off guard?_ Blue Eyes thought. _If they were in my position, they'd act the same way._ As the door began to open, she tightened her grip on her knife and slowly slid Ambar's head off of her lap. If she was to protect him, she'd need to be on her feet and ready to strike.

Two figures stepped into the room, both holding pistols and aiming at the dark shadows of the room. One of them relaxed slightly when nothing jumped at the two of them and let out a soft sigh. "That's weird," the figure said. "Crimson said there would be two people here…" At her friend's name, Blue Eyes relaxed a little more. _But anyone could know Crimson's name,_ she told herself.

The lights flickered on and she stared, horrified at the sudden exposure to light. The rangers scrambled for their weapons immediately, pointing both their guns at her. There was an enraged roar from behind her and Blue Eyes whipped around in panic. "Alabaster! Don't fire!" The Arcanine's hackles fell uncertainly as the Pokémon eyed the two rangers warily and stepped up to Blue Eyes' side. Blue Eyes studied the uniforms of the rangers—there was no doubt that they were from the ranger union. "Did Garnet Ranger Crimson send you?"

"She must be the one that Crimson was talking about," the brunette ranger girl whispered to her companion. Blue Eyes narrowed her eyes slightly but kept her mouth shut. She was in a difficult position and it wouldn't help if she mouthed off to the rangers right now. "Yes, we were sent by Crimson," she affirmed. "I assume that you're the spy?"

"Yes. I'm Heather," Blue Eyes replied. _These people probably don't recognize me. I can't let them find out my name now._ "Crimson saved Ambar and I when we were suddenly attacked by some of the other servants. I suggest that you take us on board immediately and come back to assist her." The two rangers eyed each other, nodded, and walked over. The black haired girl reached her hand out to Blue Eyes, but she shook her head no. "I'm more than capable of walking," she told them. Alabaster nudged her with its cold nose. "Not to mention that, but I can ride on Alabaster's back all the way to the ship. You two should focus on carrying Ambar."

* * *

"B-B-Blue Eyes?!" Murph spluttered when the Arcanine landed smoothly on deck. "What are you doing here?"

"I knew she was suspicious!" The brunette ranger roared, quickly whipping out her pistol again. "Hold your hands up above your head!" Blue Eyes scowled, but did as she was told. _Damn. I wasn't expecting Murph to be on this mission._ She saw the ranger flick the safety off her gun and Blue Eyes' eyes widened in fear. _Is she really going to shoot me? This is ridiculous!_

"Kate, hold your gun," a voice cut in. The ranger froze and all eyes turned to look at the speaker. "Blue Eyes has been working undercover for us in this mission."

"B-but sir!" Kate started. The man held up a hand and silenced her with a look. He walked forward and reached out his hand as an offering of peace. Relaxing slightly, Blue Eyes eyed the pistol in the ranger's hand suspiciously before taking the man's hand.

"Blue Eyes, I hope the mission is successful so far?"

"Some things were unexpected," she replied, nodding to the boy the other ranger was setting down gently. "But otherwise, I'm sure that everything is fine."

"Wonderful." The man stroked his beard slowly. "May I have a report?"

"Of course, Professor Hastings."

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

I left Kellyn to take care of the rest of the garden as I leapt back into the manor. I raced down the main hallway, checking left and right as rangers raced back and forth from the kitchen. Each person I passed carried a large sack of Pokéballs. As I passed the ballroom, I heard a smashing sound coming from Mr. Sarin's study. _What the…?_ I tiptoed to the door and pressed my ear against it. "Hurry up, Mouse!" A gruff voice roared. "The rangers are going to find us in a minute or so!" I pressed my ear harder against the wall to catch the voice of the other man.

"Y-yes sir!" My blood froze at his words. _That voice…_It sounded like the scream that I had heard when I was attacked in the Sophian Forest. It was Bridges' accomplice. Suddenly, two rough hands grabbed me by the waist and slammed me up against the door.

"Hiyah, sweetie," a voice purred in my ear. "Missed me already?" A chill ran up my spine as I felt the familiar and scratchy feeling of a beard against my cheek.

"_You_," I hissed. I began to struggle immediately. "Let go!"

"Not yet, sweetie," he cooed. "I didn't get to finish my fun last time because of that stupid electric rat."

"Why you…" I growled. I could almost see him sneering as he pressed me harder up against the wooden door.

"What was that?" I heard Mouse squeak from inside. "Bridges, is that you?"

"It is, Mouse," Bridges called, opening the door and kicking me inside. I landed hard on my knees and my gun went flying. I stared at the spinning pistol in fear. _No!_ Bridges lumbered in and eyed the gun with surprise. "What's this, sweetie? Did you bring this here to kill me?" He gave me a look of innocence. I grinded my teeth, almost wishing that my gun was actually loaded with bullets rather than darts. I threw myself at him, only to be pinned down from behind by a rather shrew-looking man. "Good job, Mouse. We might actually enjoy ourselves today." I heard the click of a belt buckle and a wave of fear washed over me. _No, not again!_ As the clinking noise continued, I was suddenly reminded of my own belt.

_Belt? _I reached for my own belt. I felt Mouse frown from above me as I tugged my belt open. "Ah, lookie here!" The third man cheered. "Sweetie's getting ready for us all by herself! Go ahead and get offa her, Mouse. She knows that she can't fight us right now." I felt Mouse hesitate before slowly climbing off of me. _Chance!_ I thought. I whipped out my belt and felt it turn into a rod immediately. It caught Mouse in the side of the jaw and he fell to the side with a sickening crack. I stumbled to my feet just in time to hear the third man splutter and Bridges yell in anger. "You little bitch!" The third man cursed, running toward me.

I leapt aside and aimed a hard blow toward the middle of his spine. He fell with a yelp, writhing angrily on the ground until I hit him hard on the head. I heard the click of the gun and flew aside just in time to see a dart fly past me. "Wrong move, sweetie," I heard Bridges mutter. "Pitt and Mouse went down easy, but I'm hard to take down." He fired a couple more shot at me and I leapt behind the sofa, using it as a temporary shield as I started advancing toward him. I swung at him and he continued to fire shots at me. His foot came out of nowhere and I stumbled to the ground. I got up immediately, clambering onto my hands and knees as I turned around to face him.

"Checkmate." I felt his sour breath wash over me as he pressed the pistol to my forehead. "Whatcha gonna do now, sweetie?" I could almost feel the tip of the dart pressing into the skin on my forehead as I crouched there, feeling as if time had frozen all around me. The next move that I made was the most dangerous one I had every made in all of my eighteen years of living.

I flung my fist upward and knocked the barrel of the pistol upwards. Bridges yelped as he pulled on the trigger and fired at the wall. With both hands, I wrenched the pistol free and it flew through the air, landing on the floor a few feet away. I abandoned my belt and dashed for the gun, whipping around the second that I had it in my hands. Bridges had my belt in hand and was above me in seconds, ready to deliver a hard blow to the side of my neck.

The safety of my gun was off and before I realized it, my finger clicked trigger once, twice, three times—

When I snapped out of my daze, I saw three darts sticking out of Bridges' stomach and my belt grasped loosely in his hands. Breathing heavily, I walked over to Mouse and Pitt and jabbed them with a dart of knock-out to make sure that they wouldn't wake up anytime soon. As I returned to Bridges' side to take my belt out of his hand, I remembered the number of times that I had fired at him. Three darts was enough to kill a person.

I pulled all three darts out of his body, hoping fervently that only a bit of the knock-out serum had gotten into his bloodstream. _Oh god…he needs medical help._ I quickly tucked my gun into the waist of my pants, grabbed my staff, and raced out into the hallway. "Rangers!" I called. Immediately, all movement ceased as the flow of rangers coming in and out of the kitchen froze. "There's three utopia members in here. All three of them are unconscious, but one of them requires medical help. I need two—", I glanced back at Bridges before quickly changing my mind. "No, three rangers to carry him and I need two others to keep watch over the remaining utopia members."

"Got it!" Five rangers dropped their things and raced over. Within a minute or so, three of them reappeared, faces red from exertion as they hefted Bridges down the hallway.

After accessing the situation on the first floor, I decided that everything was running along smoothly. I would need to send some rangers onto the second floor to make sure that none of the servants were hiding in the rooms, but otherwise, my main priority was to find the Sarin family.

A beeping noise filled my ear and I quickly clicked the button on my mike to receive the call. "Crimson," I said.

"Hey Crimson, It's Nema," the voice on the other line greeted. "We have a lot of trouble up on the third floor right now…"

* * *

Third Person – Red Eyes' PoV

"Traitor," Larry growled, aiming another kick at Red Eyes' curled figure. _This is bad_, Red Eyes thought as a stinging blow landed on his back. _This is really, really bad!_

Red Eyes had been one of the servants who were told to be present during the Sarins' family night. He had watched the family play games with one another and spend time discussing theories or philosophies. Ben had disappeared sometime around ten, saying that he was going to take a walk. He reappeared, fifteen minutes later, looking pale and haunted. Red Eyes had done his best to inconspicuously listen in on Ben's response to Ambar's concern, but even then, he hadn't been able to find out why the boy was so shaken.

A couple minutes later, Nema had called Red Eyes and told him that the raid was officially going on. She told him to keep a good eye on the other servants and make sure that the family was safe. It was overkill to tell a single person to guard an entire family of five people from the other servants in the room, but Red Eyes accepted the job anyway. Just as he had ended the call with Nema, the door burst open and three more servants ran in. Red Eyes recognized them immediately—they were the three admins of the "Utopia".

"We have a spy here," Patrick hissed, slamming the door shut. He stalked forward, pointing a pistol at the master of the house. Mr. Sarin looked shocked, betrayed, and outraged as he and his family were rounded up in the middle of the room. _Thank you for making my life so much more difficult_, Red Eyes thanked to no one in particular as the total number of utopia members increased to five.

"What's going on here?" Mr. Sarin demanded. "Patrick, put your gun down!"

"Watch it, Sarin," the brown haired man snapped. "The last thing I'm scared to do is shoot you through the head." His dark eyes travelled over the head of the house. "Or maybe even your precious children," he said in a mocking tone.

"We know that there's a traitor here," Michael said, eyeing the servants around the room suspiciously. "And his name starts with an 'L'."

"Ends with an 'S'," Larry continued, advancing on Red Eyes. "His name is…Lewis!" The admin swung his leg around and caught Red Eyes in the side of the head. Startled and winded, Red Eyes landed hard on his shoulder as another kick caught him in the stomach. He curled up into a ball, trying hard to think of a way to fight back. After all, they had him curled up in fetal position. _Dammit_, he thought. The aerial units that Nema had promised him earlier were probably hesitating about whether they should break through the windows or not. _Break through the goddamn windows! I'd like to see another day, ya know!_

As if his prayers were answered, there was a loud cry of anger as one of the windows shattered and a ranger flew in on a Staraptor. Larry paused in his kicking and Red Eyes took his chance and got quickly onto his feet, aching from his beating. "Sto—" The ranger didn't get to finish his sentence when the sound of a bullet being fired tore through the air. Red Eyes stared as a second gunshot rang out and the Staraptor beside the ranger fell with a startled squawk. The ranger who had broken through the window blinked at Patrick blankly before gazing at the blood that was seeping through his shirt. He coughed, and a bubble of blood popped at the corner of his mouth before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he slid to the ground, unmoving.

* * *

Third Person – Rashmi's PoV

_How can this be?_ She thought wildly, pressing Shanti and Marut's faces into her chest as the two children continued to scream. _How is this possible?_ Kamran looked horrified and took an even more defensive position in front of his family. Alisha was shrieking wildly, unable to tear her eyes away from the two fallen bodies that were kicked over to the side, leaving a river of blood in their wake. Ben held onto her, trying his best to tear her gaze away. Her thoughts overwhelmed her as her thoughts fought to process all the sudden information. Her staff, which she had trained and chosen personally, was turning against her family. Lewis, the blonde servant who worked for Ben, turned out to be a traitor to her staff. A ranger broke in through their window and was killed by a bullet.

It didn't just stop there. Two more rangers broke in through the windows, only to be shot down as Patrick the Butler calmly fired his gun. The door swung open and there were two more gunshots that ran through the room. Rashmi expected to see blood being splattered on the walls, seeping into the carpet, and flowing freely, but instead two of the servants who were standing guard collapsed to the ground. The door was kicked open wider and Crimson stalked in, holding a pistol firmly in her hands. "Drop your gun," she growled.

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

As I was heading up the stairs and mere seconds from reaching the third floor, I heard two gunshots ring out and screams fill the air. I propelled myself up the last couple of steps and just as I grabbed the door handle, I heard two more blasts. _You wait any longer, Crimson, and more people are going to suffer!_ I slammed my shoulder against the door and fired at two of the five figures that were standing around the Sarin family. I saw two rangers lying motionless on the floor, and two Staraptors lying in crumpled heaps. Another ranger was curled up in a ball, pressing his hands against the wound in his leg. One Staraptor croaked feebly but didn't move from where it lay.

When I turned my attention back to the three utopia members who were still standing, a wave of anger washed over me. "Drop your gun," I growled at the one nearest to me. "Or I'll shoot."

"I could say the same," he breathed, dark eyes flickering back and forth between my face and the pistol in my hand. I tightened my finger around the trigger, watching all three servants carefully. I could very well shoot the one that held onto the gun first, but the other two could easily pick up his gun after he falls and shoot someone in the family. _There doesn't look like there's an opening_, I thought to myself. My eyes flickered to the corner of the room and I recognized the crumpled heap curled up in fetal position. _Red Eyes._ A rush of horror filled my veins. _What did they do to him?_

"Your friend didn't last very long." My eyes flickered up to the man with the gun again. "You should've gotten a better spy. Or at least one that could take a hit."

"Or you could've found yourself a better team," I shot back, "who don't fall like flies being swatted out of the air." _Opening, opening, need an opening…_The stalemate between the two of us grew as time continued the pass. With luck, the rangers downstairs would've heard the gunshots and would be heading upstairs immediately.

"Or maybe you could've gotten a group of rangers who didn't die so quickly," he hissed between his teeth.

"Or maybe you could learn that no ranger is ever alone." _Not good_, I thought to myself. _He's holding onto that gun a little tighter than he was before._ I scowled mentally._ Where's a good distraction when you need it?_

As if my prayers had been answered, I saw Ben tackle one of the servants to the ground. The man with the gun didn't flinch as his other companion quickly rushed to drag Ben off of the first. The man with the gun and I stared at each other for several long moments. I could only watch from the corner of my eye as Ben was overwhelmed and slammed against the wall. Never in my life, had I ever felt so helpless. The utopia member narrowed his eyes at me, as if he was displeased with the fact that I was not cracking under the tension in the air. I saw Ben struggle with the two servants for a couple more seconds before they hefted Ben into their arms and slammed him against one of the desks in the room.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Ben's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he slumped to the ground, unmoving. A smear of blood was left on the tan wood and a small pool of blood began to build around his head. At the sight of Ben's blood, I snapped.

I whipped my pistol away from the utopia member with the gun and fired at his two accomplices. One of them fell with a grunt, and the other collapsed without a sound. The sound of a gunshot filled my ears and I felt my chest erupt in a mixture of pain and heat. As I whirled around to point my gun at the servant who had fired at me, I felt light-headed and dazed. I lifted my dart gun up to his face and fired once. I barely heard his scream as I pulled the trigger a second time as black spots began to fill my vision and my legs gave out from underneath me.

* * *

Third Person – Julian's PoV

There was the sound of glass shattering and then a gunshot ran through the air. A second followed closely, making all of the rangers who were working on the first floor freeze. Julian paused in his work, glancing around at everyone's faces until he followed their gazes to the third floor, where light flooded out of a shattered window. There were two angry cries from the Staraptor unit flying above as two of the rangers left the crowd and smashed through the other windows. The next two gunshots were inevitable, and the sound of screaming filled the air.

"_GET UPSTAIRS! NOW!_" Julian flinched out of his stupor as Rand nearly barreled him over in his race to get into the manor. He dropped his things and raced after the patrol of two or three rangers who had left the assembly line. As they tore into the manor and raced up the spiral staircase, two softer gunshots ran out before another loud, explosive blow. Following closely afterward, there were two more soft ones before another scream tore the night open.

Julian was only seconds behind Rand as the patrol burst into the room. He saw a family of five clinging onto each other, two of them screaming in a mixture of fear and horror. Julian lifted his eyes and scanned the room, the ground falling out from underneath him as he recognized the doubled over figure of his partner. "_Jamie!_" He surged forward, only to be blocked by Rand as the older ranger did a quick scope of the room. After what felt like hours, Rand lifted his arm and Julian raced over to his partner's side. "Jamie, can you hear me?" It's Julian," he begged, cupping her pale face in his hands. "Jasmie," he pleaded.

He was stupid. He was so stupid to let her join the other rangers in the air. It was too dangerous, especially for her. All the other rangers she had been flying with were all experienced flyers whereas she was still earning her position as a ranger. Even then, Julian couldn't stop thinking about how brainless he was. He was stupid for asking her to set aside her feelings for him and see him as a partner rather than a lover. He was stupid for brushing aside her emotions as being something petty and temporary. He was stupid for all the things that he had done up to this moment—flirting with the other ranger girls, being insensitive to Jamie, and deliberately stating that he was not interested in having a relationship. Everything he did was to make sure that he could play it safe as a ranger. The last thing he expected, however, was to find out just how much Jamie owned his heart.

"J-Julian," she whispered, eyelids fluttering slightly. "It—" She broke off, wincing when he shifted her slightly. "—hurts."

"Shhh, shhh," he soothed, "it's alright. We'll get you out in a bit."

"_Crimson_," Julian heard Rand choke out. Confused, Julian lifted his head and stared at the bloodied figures that decorated the room. _My god_, he thought to himself. _Not only am I stupid, but I'm blind too?_ Jacqueline and Nikko were strewn on the floor, each partially-submerged in their own pools of blood. Two fallen Staraptor lay close by them, looking horribly stiff and broken with feathers scattered all around them. One Staraptor croaked weakly from the corner, its breath coming out in tiny gasps. Ben was laid eagle-spread on the ground, a small stream of blood flowing from the side of his head.

What stunned Julian the most was Crimson, lying on a heap on the floor. Rand whirled around and addressed the two other rangers who had followed him upstairs. "Get medical help, now!" He yelled, sending both rangers scrambling downstairs. "Oh dear lord, Crimson, please be alright." It was the first time in Julian's life to see the ranger break down. Crimson was slowly turned onto her back, blood gushing out slowly from the wound in her chest. "Oh god, there's not enough time. She'll bleed to death before we get her to a hospital." Rand lifted his eyes, staring straight at Julian. The younger ranger shivered—although Rand was looking directly at him, it almost seemed as if the elder ranger's eyes were staring off into the distance. "Speed," Rand whispered hoarsely. "We need speed. Latias…Latias!"

Julian watched as the man leapt onto his feet and raced over to the window. "_LATIAS!_" He bellowed. Immediately, a red and white figure smashed through the remainder of the broken window.

"Latii!"

"Look, Latias, take her to the closest city—anywhere!" Rand ran his hand through his hair, looking absolutely stricken. "Who…who could make sure that Crimson would get the right help?" His eyes flickered back to Julian. "You! You there—can you ride Latias with Crimson and make sure that she gets taken care of?"

"Latii!" The red and white Pokémon nudged him and nodded to her back. Julian glanced down at Jamie and was surprised to see a burning determination in her blue eyes.

"What…are you…waiting for?" She grit out. "I won't…forgive you…if Crimson dies…" Julian left her side immediately, carefully shifting Crimson as he lifted her up bridal style.

"Take care of Jamie," he told Rand as he quickly laid Crimson onto Latias' back and laid his body over hers. "Let's go!"

* * *

Third Person – Rand's PoV

He stood vigilantly by Jamie's side until the two rangers he had sent off for medical help returned with Leanne in the tow. "I sent Crimson off with Julian. Let's hope that she makes the trip."

"You should call Nema," Leanne replied, bending over Jamie. "But first, check in with them." She nodded toward the Sarin family, who were still crowded in the middle of the room.

"Rand, what is going on?" Kamran demanded. "And where is Ambar?"

"Ambar is on the Union ship right now," Rand replied. "Crimson managed to grab a hold of him before your staff managed to drag him away. He's being sedated for now."

"Sedated?" Rashmi spluttered. "My son?"

"It seems that he was under some hallucinogen or drug," Rand replied. "But first things first—are all of you okay?"

"Physically, yes. But psychologically, no," Kamran reported.

"Alright. Would you like me to tell you what happened now or would you like to go on the Union first and have me explain there?"

"Out of here, please," Rashmi begged. "Don't let the children see this for any longer." Rand nodded.

"Of course. Just give me a second, though." Rand walked to the window and called out into the night. "Sven! Wendy! I need you guys in here now!" Immediately, two figures swooped out of the darkness and the two rangers entered the room through the shattered windows. Sven looked stricken and disbelieving as he looked around the room, but Wendy kept her eyes locked on Rand. "I need you two to escort the Sarin family downstairs. I'll be close behind."

Wendy nodded and nudged Sven to knock him out of his stupor. The two of them circled the family of five immediately and began to lead them out of the room. As they left, Rand could hear Wendy cooing comfortingly to the family. _She's a good ranger,_ he thought. _I just never expected Sven to act like that in the face of death. I'll have to tell Professor Hastings that Sven won't be able to join his new legion of rangers._ Rand walked over to the bodies of the fallen rangers. One ranger was on his side, the blood still flowing out of the hole punched into his chest. By his side, a crumpled Staraptor was stained red. Rand gently brushed his hand over the boy's eyes, closing them forever.

He approached the next body—a girl with a bullet wound on the left side of her chest. If anything, she died quickly. She didn't have to suffer for very long. Beside her, her Staraptor croaked again, lifting its head to the fluorescent light before a shudder passed through it and its head fell to the ground again. It never moved again. Fruitlessly trying to swallow the bitter lump in his throat, Rand closed the girl's eyes and carefully wiped the blood off her face. When he turned around, the hope that had died in his heart flickered to life again.

"You better check out Ben." Rand started at the croak. He whirled around to see Red Eyes getting onto his feet unsteadily. The former Pincher was covered in cuts and bruises. It looked like the blonde man would be sporting a black eye for days.

Ben had a small stream of blood flowing from a cut on the side of his head, but the boy stirred and let out a soft groan of pain. "Leanne! Ben's still alive!"

"Karson!" She yelled. "Hold the gauze down until the bleeding stops." She was by Rand's side in a second, pressing another medical gauze against Ben's wound. "It looks like he hit his head hard," she told him. "I'm going to need a couple more rangers to help carry him down."

"I can get them for you. I'm on my way back to the Union." He nodded to Red Eyes. "Come on, I'll get you downstairs.

* * *

Rand watched as six rangers raced back to the manor. About five were left carrying the different sacks of Pokéballs back to the ship. He had called down the aerial units and sent them off to Leanne to retrieve the bodies of their fallen teammates and aid Leanne in carrying the wounded down. Blue Eyes was holding on protectively to Red Eyes, crying as she brushed the hair out of his eyes.

With a sigh, Rand turned and headed down to the gallery, where the Sarin family was waiting. They had settled themselves down on the sofas that decorated the room. Rand sat down in an armchair and studied everyone's faces. Alisha looked as if she were about to faint. Marut had no doubt cried himself to sleep. Shanti clung onto her mother, whimpering softly. Rashmi looked pale, exhausted, and haunted. Kamran had Ambar's head in his lap, stroking his son's hair gently. All who were conscious were waiting for Rand's explanation. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"I'll start with Ben. Ben was sent off to the Almia region to help the rangers who were struggling to do all of their tasks. How he managed to knock himself out in the ocean is still a mystery. However, we can easily ask him about it or have him meet with a psychologist in order to find out. To clear up any relationships, Crimson and Ben were dating up until the point that he was declared missing. Now let's move onto why your family was targeted.

"Your servants were part of an evil organization of people called the 'Utopia'. The 'Utopia' brutalized Pokémon and willingly abused them for slave labor. They have a very distinct tactic of hypnotizing Pokémon and then capturing them with Pokéballs to ensure that the Pokémon will not be able to escape. Crimson was currently staying with my family when this news arrived. Professor Hastings—the man in charge of all the missions—asked two of Crimson's former enemies for assistance since they still had a name from the organization they were a part of. But I will clear this up first—they are not bad people. In fact, both of them have been changing their ways ever since they left the organization. You knew them as Lewis and Heather, but we knew them as Red Eyes and Blue Eyes." Rand saw Rashmi's eyes widen in recognition.

"Anyway, they were sent in as undercover spies. We then decided that Crimson would be best for the job when it came to actually infiltrating the organization's secrets. At first, we thought it would be almost impossible for you to willingly take Crimson with you to your manor, but you guys seemed to fall in love with her the second that she started talking."

"So you were using us?" Kamran accused.

"In reality, yes." Rand studied the man's face carefully. "I would say it was for a good cause, but you can interpret it in any way you please. If we didn't stop the organization, they would continue to use your funds to supply their wrongdoings. Anyway, Crimson came with you in order to put some extra tension on the utopia members and help Blue Eyes and Red Eyes. From what I've heard, she's been targeted frequently by the other servants. Dropping pots, tacks, needles, traps, whatever. She's even been poisoned, from what I've heard." Rand leaned back with a sigh. "Not to mention, she's been shot in the chest. We're rushing her to the hospital on the fastest Pokémon in all of Oblivia.

"I apologize for all the destruction that we have made to your manor. I wish that we could've had this raid elsewhere, but unfortunately, the utopia members had decided to hold their gathering here. If you want, blame the Ranger Union for all that has happened to you, but I want to make sure that Crimson is not to blame for what happened here. If anything, she was doing her job and making sure that the people she cared for weren't getting hurt."

Rand chewed on the inside of his lip as he studied the faces of the Sarin family carefully. Rashmi still looked pale and stricken whereas her husband seemed to be torn between betrayal and anger. Rand felt the tension in the room snap when footsteps echoed from the stairway. "Rand!" The ranger turned around to see Murph holding out a Poképhone. "It's Julian." Rand was on his feet in a second, quickly taking the phone out of Murph's hand.

"Julian? Tell me Crimson's condition now!" Rand barked.

"From what I know, she's in critical condition," Julian reported. "They're trying to go through with the procedure as soon as possible, but since it's so late at night, there were barely any doctors in the area."

"Chances of survival?" Rand heard the younger ranger hesitate on the other side of the line. Immediately, his heart dropped.

"Approximately 10% right now. They don't know how far the bullet managed to go."

"And if the bullet didn't go too far?"

"Let's just say that her chances would be higher." Rand cursed at Julian's reply and chewed on his lip anxiously.

"Let's hope for the best then. I'll tell Professor Hastings to report to Crimson's family ASAP."

"Got it. I'll call back if there's any improvement."

* * *

Third Person – Aaron's PoV

A brown haired man burst into the hospital, breathing heavily as he raced to the front desk. At the door, his Rapidash whinnied after him. "Sir? Can I help you?" A pink haired receptionist looked at him worriedly.

"Yes—my sister was shot," he wheezed. "Summer—Summer Arithorne."

"Alright. Room 46 on the second floor is where she'll be after the operation. She's in the ER on the second floor." The man nodded and bolted off to the side before quickly skidding to the side.

"My Rapidash—can you get someone to watch her for me?" The receptionist nodded and he was off in a flash. The man glanced at the elevator and decided to use the stairs instead. He took two steps at a time and quickly found himself on the second floor. Trying to keep his pace steady, he sped-walked to the room in the farthest corner of the hallway—the ER.

"Excuse me, sir, but there will be no visitors at this moment." A nurse appeared out of thin air, pushing against his shoulders and maneuvering him so that he was away from the door.

"Excuse me, but I'm family!" He snapped. "My sister's in there right now!" The nurse's face blanched slightly, but she still shook her head no.

"Please, this is for the safety of both the patient and the doctors," she stammered. "The surgeons need to be focused the entire time. We can't afford to have someone come in and interrupt the procedure." The man stared at the nurse for a couple of seconds before turning away and cursing under his breath. "Can you please wait in the sitting area? We will call you as soon as she's stable." He nodded numbly and walked away from the nurse, each step filled with dread and disbelief. _My little sister…shot?_ He slumped onto one of the sofas in the sitting area and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Excuse me…sir?" The man tilted his head to see a black haired teenager looking at him worriedly. "Are you alright?" Letting out a bitter laugh, he shook his head.

"Well, my sister was just shot. Of course I'm alright," he sighed.

"Sister? Are you Crimson's brother?" At his sister's nickname, the man shot up in his seat and stared at the teenager. "I'm one of her fellow Rangers." _He does have the ranger uniform…_

"I'm Aaron," the man replied. "Aaron Arithorne." The ranger gave him a small smile, and the two of them sat in silence. "What…what happened to her?" At his words, the ranger looked uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you," he replied slowly. "The information may still be confidential…" Aaron let out a snort.

"Great; my sister's been shot and you're saying that you can't tell me why?"

"I can call my squad leader about it." The ranger was on his feet and at the reception desk in a second. Aaron watched as he made a quick phone call, thanked the receptionist, and headed back over to the sitting area. When the ranger seated himself, he cleared his throat softly before leaning forward. "Alright. Crimson was sent in on a secret mission…"

* * *

Third Person – Rand's PoV

Rand fiddled from side to side uncomfortably as the Union docked in Cocona Village. Despite the fact that his wife had advised him to call their daughter about what had happened to Crimson, he knew that Nema would do something headstrong and brash if he wasn't there to watch her. After all, she did go after him when he flew into the Sky Fortress…

Either way, he had to face Nema eventually. Rand watched as two rangers were sent off on Staraptors in search of medical help. "Leanne, I'm going to head back home really quick. I have to tell Nema about…"

"You didn't tell her earlier?" As expected, his wife turned her blue eyes on him. "Why didn't you call her when I told you to?" She demanded.

"Don't you remember what Nema did when I flew over to the Sky Fortress?" He reminded her. "I can't have her running off without supervision." Leanne narrowed her eyes and turned her head away begrudgingly. "Anyway, I'll be flying over to where Julian and Crimson are with Nema. I'll call as soon as I get there." Rand kissed his wife's temple before racing off in the direction of his house.

* * *

"Papa!" Nema's face was full of surprise as she opened the door for him. "You're back!" She peered over his shoulder and her eyes clouded with confusion. "Where's the others?" Behind her, Rand could see Nick walking into the living room, sliding his headphones off with a frown.

"Nema, before you kick, fuss, and freak out, I need to tell you something first," Rand told her. A look of horror settled into his daughter's blue eyes, but he continued anyway. "I have two Staraptors ready for flight. We'll leave as soon as I finish explaining. But first, you have to promise me that you won't go absolutely berserk."

"I…promise," Nema replied hesitantly. "Now what happened?"

"Crimson was shot. Now let's get on the Staraptors and fly over to where she's hospitalized ASAP. I'll fill you in on the details as soon as we're there." Rand ushered his daughter toward one of the bird Pokémon in their front yard. "Nick, watch the house while we're gone!" He called.

"Got it!" He heard Nick reply. "Be careful!"

"Will do!" With that, Rand mounted his Staraptor and took off, keeping a careful eye on Nema as the two of them began their trip to the hospital.

* * *

"I shouldn't have…" Nema trailed off, looking completely stricken. "I thought she'd be okay without me…I had to make sure that the other rangers weren't getting lost. I…oh god…"

"Nema, it's not your fault," Rand tried to reassure her for the hundredth time as they headed up the stairs. They were directed over to the sitting area by a receptionist and seated themselves by Julian. "Julian. What's the update?"

"I don't know," the ranger admitted. "The nurses haven't come out yet to tell me anything." He paused before adding, "Nema, are you alright?" The blue-eyed girl said nothing as she stared down at her hands. When Julian shot Rand a helpless look, the older ranger shook his head. If anything, Nema was in a serious state of shock. "Um, well, I got to meet Crimson's older brother while I was waiting," Julian quickly spoke up, nodding to the brown haired man who was studying the tiled floor intently. "A-Aaron, this is Rand and his daughter Nema."

"Rand? The ranger that Crimson was staying with?" The man lifted his head immediately. He had brown hair and light brown eyes. Rand could see some similarities in the shape of their eyes and the general outline of their heads.

"Yes. My daughter and I rushed over here the second that we heard." It was partially a lie but mostly a truth. Rand and Nema had rushed over here the second that they returned to Cocona Village.

"Papa…does Blue Eyes know what happened?" Nema asked gently, tugging on Rand's uniform.

"Red Eyes is probably telling her right now," Rand replied, stroking her hair gently. "All that we can do now is pray that she'll be alright."

* * *

Third Person – Oblivion

Instinct lost track of time as he sat vigilantly beside the black orb that had swallowed Reason. He was barely even aware of what was going on before him before the entire world around him turned purplish and blotchy. He faintly remembered that whenever Ben was asleep, the sky would be a very dark blue color, but it was the first time that he saw it take on a violet color. If anything, it meant that something bad had happened.

He had seen shreds of what had happened—guns firing, people screaming, and others falling to the ground. Crimson had burst through the doors and Instinct had forced Ben to tackle one of the utopia members to the ground. **Get'em!** He had cheered. **Knock'em out!** Instead, Ben's actions led to him being attacked by another utopia member. There was a crashing noise, a brief twinge of pain in the back of his head, and Instinct blacked out. When he came to again, the world looked purple and bruised.

**Reason's gonna kill me when he finds out what happens**, Instinct muttered sheepishly as he laid his head against the black surface. He blinked longingly at the shiny material. **There can't be Instinct without Reason**, he whispered softly. **Wake up, Reason. Get out of there.** Instinct swallowed awkwardly. **I can't lose Ben first and then you. **

A sloshing noise filled the air and Instinct was on his feet in a second, awkwardly tilted due to the fact that his arm was still encompassed within the black orb. **What the hell is going on?** He shouted to no one in particular. Suddenly, the sharp, suffocating feeling around his arm began to be much more flexible and liquid-like. **What the—**Instinct had no way of finishing his sentence before the sphere burst open and something came crashing into him. Spluttering, Instinct lifted his head to identify the figure. **Reason?**

_**Thank god I'm out! Do you think it was Ben?**_ Reason replied, looking slightly dazed. **Ben's unconscious right now**, Instinct replied blankly. Reason blinked at him and narrowed his eyes menacingly. _**Instinct…What did you do?**_ He growled. **I saved Crimson some time, that's what**, Instinct defended himself immediately. **But…Ben got knocked out and he's being sent to the hospital right now.** When Reason continued to scowl at him, Instinct felt himself becoming impatient. **Look, that's not my main priority right now. How did you get out of that thing?** Instinct gestured to the puddle of darkness beside them.

_**I don't know**__,_ Reason admitted. _**It felt like someone was pulling me out**_. Instinct was quiet for a few seconds. **Do you think it was Ben?** _**I don't believe that's possible, though. He lost his memory, remember?**_ **Yeah, but what if he remembers right now?**A pause_. __**Well, I suppose…**_Reason froze before slowly turning to face Instinct. _**Do you know what this means?**_

**Yeah. It means that that knock on the head that Ben received**, Instinct gently tapped his head with his fist, **knocked some memories back into his head. With luck, he'll be the Ben that we know. **_**The Ben that remembers us. **_**That exact one.**Reason clambered off of instinct and crossed his legs. _**Well…what do we do now?**_ Instinct snorted as his companion's words. **The only thing that we can do. Wait.**

* * *

A/N: Bad news, good news; I don't know what to start with!

Let's go with good news first: The raid is complete, the Sarin family is safe, Instinct and Reason are reunited, Ben hopefully has his memory back, and most of the Baddies are knocked out or have fled.

Bad news: Ben's unconscious and his memory's probably in danger again, Crimson was shot, Red Eyes was beaten up horribly, two rangers and two Staraptors died in the raid, Ambar is knocked out, and the Sarin family is very suspicious of the Ranger Union right now.

Pros/Cons:...A crapload of problems that will hopefully be resolved by yours truly in the next couple of chapters.

READER SHOUT-OUTS!

Once again, I would like to thank **Some Person**, **ShadowLibra**, and** Sophia-DC **for being so dedicated when it comes to reading along with the story!

I would then like to have a shout-out to someone who had just recently favorited my story: **UhhIdontknow**!

Thank you guys so much for reading-and as much as I hate to admit it, this fanfic is coming to an end.

R&R, guys!


	21. Chapter 20

Hey guys! I'm really sorry about not updating very often and leaving you guys with a horrible cliffhanger. Thankfully, everything (mostly) is going to be solved in this chapter. I had a crapload of homework (finals, tests, assessments, papers) and I feel like that's an overused excuse so I'll shut up right now.

Enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON

* * *

Everything was a blur around me—sights, sounds, feelings—everything. Just when I thought I could see a small light in the distance, the painful burning in my chest pushed me into darkness again. It was an absolutely terrifying feeling—to be resubmerged over and over again in mixture that burned, froze, and electrocuted all of my senses.

There were two things that I remembered clearly—the fact that I was shot, and the fact that Ben had been injured. I vaguely recalled seeing bodies on the floor and people screaming, but otherwise, everything else was a blur. My head hurt when I tried to think about what had happened. My heart hurt when I tried to think about Ben. My chest hurt when I thought about getting out of this darkness. I didn't know which way to turn.

"Hey you!" I froze at the voice calling out to me. _Could it be…?_ There was only one way to find out. I turned out slowly and found myself face to face with someone who I thought I'd never see again. _The eleven-year-old me_. My eyes widened in recognition. The girl shook with a mixture of uncontrollable anger and pain. "He's never coming back!" She screamed at me. My heart broke at her words. _Who is it? Dad? Ben? Aaron?_ "You thought this world was perfect, right? You thought that it was so wonderful, right?" Tears were streaming down the little girl's face. "Well it's not! It'll never be. Not with him gone." I watched as the child's jaw trembled and how she buried her face in her hands and cried.

The world around me felt even colder than it had been seconds earlier—biting harshly at me with chilling nips. _Yes, yes, you're absolutely right,_ I found myself agreeing. _The world isn't wonderful. I've lost too much to love the world now. The people I loved have all left me behind._I choked when I thought of the other reason. _Or maybe I've left them behind._

* * *

Third Person – Omniscient

"Her heart rates dropping!" A nurse in blue-green scrubs shouted. "She's losing too much blood!" He paused before adding, "She's getting colder."

"Keep working!" The head surgeon bellowed. "We're not going to lose this person! The procedure is almost done!" The nurses worked even more furiously than before, rushing to their stations and whipping out whatever materials the two surgeons needed. One of the nurses stopped by the patient's head and felt her heart break for the girl on the table.

"You're too young to die," she whispered.

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

The girl walked closer, her hand outstretched as she reached for me. "It's over," she told me. "We need to leave now." I stared at her hand. _Is it time to leave? How much will I leave?_ "They're gone," she pressed. "It's time to leave now." Numbly, I nodded and gently slipped my hand into hers.

* * *

Third Person – Omniscient

"We're losing her; we're losing her!" One of the nurses shouted, watching helplessly as the number of heart-beats per minute dropped exponentially.

"The procedure is done!" The younger surgeon shouted, finishing the last stitch on the girl's chest. "Quick, get her stabilized!" The nurses quickly moved the girl off of the operation table and onto a bed. They rushed her out of the ER and into the room next to it—the critical condition wing. Immediately, the nurses began hooking her up to different machines to track her heart rate and monitor her progress.

"Someone inform the relatives!" One of the nurses urged as he bent over the patient.

"I'll do it." The older surgeon called before tossing his bloodied gloves into a nearby bin and grabbing the board that one of the nurses was holding. He pushed through the double doors and headed down into the waiting area, where four people sat in a small group in the corner. "Relatives of…" The surgeon looked down at the name on the paper. "Summer Ary-thorne?" One of the people shot up immediately, looking overwhelmed with concern and dread. He was dressed in the navy blue uniform of police officers.

"Yes, that's my little sister," he said as he rushed over to the surgeon's side. "How is she? Is she alright?"

"Your sister is in very critical condition right now," the surgeon said slowly, steeling his heart. He had informed many families of the instability of many patients and was often times the man who had to tell others that their loved ones were dead. Despite the numerous times that he had done this, it was still very difficult to witness the pain of the family members. The officer's jaw tightened and he let out a ragged breath. "However, she is young and that gives her a much bigger chance."

"Where was she shot?"

"She was shot in the chest, slightly below her collarbone. Somehow, the bullet had missed her lung, but our main concern is her current condition. She's lost a lot of blood, and it seems that she's been overworking herself lately. She had bruises and cuts all over her arms and torso and there are indications of struggle. Was your sister involved with any gangs or was she victim to abuse?"

"Summer is a ranger," a dark-haired, bearded man replied. "She was involved in a very important mission and was shot during the middle of it." The surgeon was slightly bewildered by why a ranger would have possibly been shot, but he nodded and kept his mouth shut. If he remembered correctly, it was the police force that worked with guns and evildoers of every sort. Rangers were posted to assist the everyday people and protect the relationship between humans and Pokémon.

"We'll keep you updated on her condition every few minutes or so," the surgeon said. "Speaking of which, I will return to give you a report in just a sec—"

"Two more patients have arrived!" Several paramedics appeared at once, pushing two people on separate beds down the hall. The surgeon stepped to the side and headed toward the ER immediately.

"Actually, I'll send you a nurse to report on that," he called before disappearing behind the double doors.

* * *

Third Person – Rand's PoV

"Why are the patients being transferred upstairs? It only makes sense for the patients to be treated on the first floor," Aaron commented, watching the paramedics rush off. Rand recognized the two of them with a jolt—Ben and Jamie. He heard some shuffling and turned to see Nema holding Julian back.

"Jamie…" The younger ranger trailed off, looking helpless as Nema gently led him back to his seat. Rand looked sympathetically to the two teenagers as they held onto each other and turned at the voice that came from the left.

"The first floor ER is under maintenance," the receptionist called out in response to Aaron's question. "They should be close to finishing soon."

"Papa?" Rand turned at his daughter's call. "Was that…Ben?"

"Yes," Rand replied, quickly walking up to the reception desk. "Speaking of which, I should call the Ranger Union and have them inform his parents of his current condition." The receptionist turned the phone so that it was facing him.

"Dial seven first," she told him before quickly returning to her computer screen.

"Professor Hastings."

"It's good to hear that you're back in the Ranger Union. Look, I need you to call Jamie and Ben's families and tell them about their children." He was slightly surprised that the professor had managed to return to the Ranger Union so quickly, but he brushed it off.

"That's already been done. Rides are being arranged and the families of the deceased have been informed of their…devastating losses."

"Thanks Professor," Rand said quietly.

"How is Crimson faring?"

"Critical condition, according to the staff," he replied, glancing to the side as a nurse walked over to Aaron and reiterated Crimson's current state. "It seems like she's been overworked and beaten somehow."

"Beaten and overworked? I don't remember…hmm? What's that?" Rand heard Professor Hastings asking in the distance. "I see. Rand, it seems that Crimson was training very diligently during her stay with the Sarin family. Blue Eyes is informing me now that Crimson had gotten into a rather…rough sparring match with the eldest daughter of the family."

"Sparring match?" Rand echoed. "I never knew that they were on bad terms with one another."

"Seems like Nema didn't fill you in on what happened then," a cool, feminine voice replied over the phone. "Is Crimson alright?"

"In critical condition," Rand replied. "How's Red Eyes?"

"Pissed." There was a pause. "And worried for Crimson. He's roughed up a bit, but we won't need to go to the hospital for that. Professor Hastings offered to supply us with two Staraptors so we could stop by."

"It's good to hear that he's alright. How soon can we expect you?"

"Twenty minutes, give or take. We need to find some Staraptor that are actually capable of flying half-awake. Here's Professor Hastings again." Rand heard some shifting in the background before the Professor's voice came through again.

"Rand, Ben's and Jamie's families should be there in a few minutes. You might want to go downstairs to escort them to the waiting room," he suggested.

"Will do, Professor," Rand replied. "I'll call you again if there's any improvement on any of our rangers' conditions." He ended the call with a click and handed the phone set back to the receptionist. He turned back to the three in the waiting room and addressed them. "I'm going downstairs so I can receive Ben and Jamie's families," he told them. "I'll be back in about ten minutes so keep your ears open for Crimson until then. Nema, I want you to call the Ranger Union if there's any improvement." The blue eyed girl nodded and took the slip of paper from his hand. "We'll be expecting Blue Eyes and Red Eyes soon as well."

* * *

Third Person – Aaron's PoV

_Come on Crimson_, he thought desperately as he rocked back in forth slightly. _You aren't going to let a lousy bullet kill ya. Not to mention, the bullet missed for God's sake!_ The officer looked worriedly to the right. Rand had run downstairs to wait for the incoming wave of family members for the other two victims, but Aaron doubted that it was right for Julian and Nema to be left alone. _Mom should be coming soon_, he sighed inwardly as he leaned back. _I had to take Rapidash over here, but she should be close behind in her car…_

A call in the middle of the night was anything but expected. Aaron had barely managed to pull jeans and a clean shirt over his head before he rushed out the door. His mother, on the other hand, stayed back to inform Zenith (he was hanging around for a bit before going on another expedition to a faraway region) and his family of what had happened. "Nema…Julian…how close were you exactly to Crimson?" The ranger and the blue-eyed girl looked up in surprise at Aaron's voice.

"Crimson is my partner's best friend," Julian replied, fiddling with his fingers slightly. "We've known each other in the Ranger Union."

"I'm an inventor," Nema told Aaron. "Crimson and I were always testing out my inventions and hanging out." The blue-eyed girl paused and stared miserably at the linoleum floor. "I only wish I could've gotten some of my newer inventions to her in time," she mumbled quietly, hanging her head. Aaron felt a stab of empathy as he gazed at the other two people in the waiting room. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when a flurry of footsteps came from the staircase.

"Ben! Where's my son?" A brunette woman demanded as she rounded the corner. A grey-haired man followed close behind along with two young adults. Further along, Aaron saw a red-haired man ushering his blonde-haired family over toward the waiting room. In the very back, Rand was escorting a blonde male with red streaks in his hair and a blonde woman was tending to a brunette.

"Mom!" Aaron called out as the crowd grew nearer. The woman in the back lifted her head in surprise and rushed forward, breaking free from her companion's arms.

"Aaron! Crimson—is she alright?" The woman demanded as she grabbed a hold of his shoulders. He began to speak but another voice talked over him.

"Benjamin Polari?" A nurse asked.

"My son," the grey-haired man called out. "How is he?"

"He was examined by our surgeons and seems to have a concussion," the nurse reported. "The blow doesn't look too severe, but memory loss is expected."

"And Jamie? Jamie Richards?" A blonde woman wailed.

"Jamie Richards has lost a lot of blood," the nurse replied. "But a transfusion is on the way and she should be fine."

"What about Summer? Summer Areh-thorne?" Aaron asked, carefully sounding out their last name.

"Still in critical condition." Aaron's mom let out a small sob and shook her head softly.

"Lynne," a woman cooed softly. Aaron quickly recognized her as Theresa, Zenith's mother. "It's okay. Calm down." Rick, her husband, nodded and stroked Aaron's mother's back slowly. "Crimson's a strong girl. She'll make it for sure."

"Aaron," Haley hissed softly. "What happened to her?" Zenith was close behind his sister, the same calm look on his face.

"From what I know, she was shot in the chest," Aaron replied, sighing. "It seems like it's up to Crimson to fight off whatever's eating at her."

"Blue Eyes!" Aaron turned to see Nema jump out of her seat. "Oh God, Red Eyes, you look horrible!"

"Thanks," the blonde man replied dryly. "I did it myself. How are Crimson and the others?"

"Not doing well, from the reports." Nema's eyes watered slightly. The girl named Blue Eyes let out a small murmur of sympathy and pulled the inventor into her arms.

"Aaron." The named man turned to see Rand standing beside him. "Is Crimson's father coming…?"

"She never told you?" Aaron's jaw nearly dropped. He knew Crimson was good at hiding things from others, but the way that Nema had described their relationship to him made it seem that the two of them were very close. Rand's eyebrows furrowed in concern as his daughter, Red Eyes, and Blue Eyes walked over.

"My husband passed away when Crimson was eleven," Lynne said softly. "Crimson was devastated by his death. It was because of him that my children decided that they would join some sort of domestic defense program in order to avoid further grievances."

"Why didn't Crimson tell us?" Blue Eyes looked conflicted. "The way she talked about him made him seem as if he was still alive…"

"Crimson has a way with things. She's been hiding his death ever since we were twelve." Aaron turned to see Zenith joining the conversation. "She doesn't want anyone to know about the fact that her father was killed. It was part of her self-defense, I suppose. She hated to be looked down by other people."

"Exactly. Crimson has a habit of concealing a lot of facts when she talks about her family," Aaron agreed. "She's a very secretive person. If anything, Zenith probably knows more about her than I do."

"Ben would've told us if he knew anything, though…" Nema frowned. "He was the closest to her, after all…"

"Ben? Who's Ben?" Aaron echoed. "What's that guy's relationship with my sister?"

"They were dating," Lynne sniffed softly. "But Crimson knew you would overreact so she told me to keep it a secret from you." Aaron shot his mother a flabbergasted look, but she ignored him. "Crimson was probably scared of telling him. If anything, she would've kept the secret as far away from him as possible."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Arithorne?" Everyone turned to face one of the nurses. "I offer my condolences. It seems that Summer's condition is becoming more unstable." Lynne's hands flew up to her mouth with a muffled sob. "Would you like to see her?"

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

"Dad's waiting too," Little Crimson added, sniffling softly as she pulled me along. I froze as the thought overwhelmed me. Little Crimson must've felt some resistance because she turned around and gave me a confused look.

"Dad?" I whispered. "Dad's waiting?" _Does this mean I'm dying? Does this mean that I'm already dead?_ My body began to shake violently. _I don't want to die. I want to see Leanne, Nema, Red Eyes, Blue Eyes, Rand, Aaron, Latias, Alabaster, Entei, and the other again. I want to see Booker, Professor Hastings, Jamie, Kate, Kellyn, Julian, and Nick. I want to see Ukulele Pichu and Ben._

"Come on, Crimson," Little Crimson urged impatiently, tugging hard on my arm. "He's waiting for us! We can't be late!" As if the darkness around was obedient to her words, a spark lit up the shadows and a small figure stood in the brightness.

"Dad," I breathed softly. Little Crimson looked up at me expectantly.

"Yes, dad," she agreed. "He's waiting, so we should hurry." I nodded frantically and allowed her to drag me further along. _I'm going to see dad again._ With each step, I felt myself feeling more energized and light than ever. _He'll hug me and kiss my cheeks and tell me that I'm finally home._ My heart soared as I neared the light. _Dad—!_

A hand wrapped around my other wrist and held me back. Little Crimson gave a squawk of surprise before whirling around with narrowed eyes. "You," she hissed. Confused, I turned my head around to see what she was glaring at.

A semi-transparent Ben stared back at me with firm and determined eyes. "That's not the way to go, Crimson," he whispered. "The way back is with me." As if to prove his point, he pulled me closer toward him. I leaned into him, drinking in his scent and taking in his warmth. _Ben._ Just as I began to close my eyes, a sharp tug on my other arm knocked me back into consciousness.

"Crimson is leaving with me," Little Crimson hissed, blue eyes flaring angrily. "She's coming with me to see dad, and that's that."

"Crimson will see him," Ben promised, "but after she leaves with me."

"Who are you two?" I demanded, quickly snapping out of my dream-like daze. Then reality hit me. If I was going to see dad, then I was going to die. If I went with the Ben that remembered me, where would I stand then? Two pulls from opposite sides made me wince and glared at the two people on either side of me. "Quit pulling!" I snapped.

"Crimson is leaving with me," Little Crimson snarled.

"She'll choose me over the likes of him anytime," Ben shot back.

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"Will not!"

"Will too!"

"I will not!" I growled, tugging both hands free. Ben's eyes filled with confusion and Little Crimson's blue eyes were wide with hurt. "I'm not choosing either of you! I love my dad and I love Ben, but I will not choose!"

"But you have to go somewhere," Ben replied. "If you don't go with her then you'll stay with me."

"And if you don't stay with him," Little Crimson growled, reaching out for my arm again while shooting a glare at Ben. "Then you'll go with me."

"Now choose me!" Ben grabbed my other arm and pulled hard.

"No, me!" Little Crimson screeched. And tug-o-war ensued. Unfortunately, this one wasn't as painless as the last.

"I'll make a choice, so stop!" I hissed, feeling as if I was literally being torn to pieces. Immediately, both sides released my hands and I rubbed my wrists with a long sigh. "I'm still not going with either of you. But I will choose someone." I lifted my head and stared out into the darkness. "I'm going with myself."

I have no idea what had caused me to say that, but those words seemed to be the right choice. Suddenly, the chill of the darkness had disappeared and warm flowed through my veins. I felt my brain focus and my ears strain to catch whatever sounds were around me. There was a faint beeping noise that called out insistently at me, as if it were an alarm clock. Irritably, I opened my eyes and blinked at the ceiling above me with clouded eyes. Letting out a soft groan, I shifted slightly and realized that I was hooked up to several machines. Well, so much for getting comfortable. I heard a soft gasp and the sound of doors being thrown open. Two figures appeared before me, looking at me with wide eyes. Frowning, I stared at them until I recognized both of them.

"Aaron? Mom? What are you doing here?"

* * *

"The other ranger was Jamie?" I felt my jaw drop in shock. "Is she alright, I mean, is she okay?" I struggled forward but strong hands held me back. "Is she in this room?"

"Crimson, she's perfectly fine. She's still under anesthetics, but she's in good enough condition that she won't have to be in the critical care room," Rand soothed. Nema had burst into tears when she saw me trying to sit up in my hospital bed and was still crying softly into Blue Eyes' shoulder. They had only allowed family members to visit me yesterday, when I had first woken up. According to the doctors and the nurses, they were almost convinced that I was a goner. _Thank God I didn't choose either Little Crimson or Ben_, I thought to myself. _Wait a minute…Ben!_

"Ben—what about Ben? Is he alright?"

"He's fine too. He's suffering from a concussion right now, but there's no sign of brain damage. His memory might be affected again, but otherwise, he's just fine. Now settle back down or else you'll open your wound again. I knew it was a bad idea to start telling her about everyone else on the second day," Rand muttered softly under his breath.

"I heard that," I warned. Rand gave me a sheepish smile and I giggled softly. As I did this, a stab of pain went through my chest and I winced.

"See!" Rand declared, promptly shoving me back onto my pillows. "I knew you were going to hurt yourself again! Well then, listen to this. Professor Hastings is giving you _direct_ to stay in bed until recovery and then he'll meet with you to discuss your future with the Ranger Union. It turns out that he's interested in creating a new division of ranger and he wants you to head it. Until then, Crimson," he told me as he led Blue Eyes and Nema out the door.

"New division?" I echoed after him, confused. "What new division? Rand!"

* * *

According to the doctors, I healed faster than they expected me to. Over the three weeks that I spent (unwillingly) resting in the hospital, I was healthier than a Staryu that had just used Recover. They were still very adamant about keeping me out of action, but eventually gave into my pleas to be sent back to Oblivia. I was leaving for the Ranger Union in about an hour in order to gather up my things and move to the islands and establish a base for myself and the new ranger division.

At least four days before being discharged from the hospital, Professor Hastings had appeared in my hospital room and informed me about the new ranger division. He was concerned about the future of the world due to all of these sudden organizations "rising suddenly from the dust" as he had put it. He wanted a special defense force—some group that would respond to these kinds of negative groups and take them down immediately. And as expected, he wanted to keep this group secret so that evil organizations wouldn't be expecting a sudden attack from the Ranger Union. He said that it was too dangerous for me to continue as the only one providing such services and that he would like to have a trained group of rangers to take on these missions together. When he had offered me the leadership position for this group, I couldn't find it in me to refuse.

Surprisingly, he offered to establish the home base in Oblivia and to station me permanently in Oblivia so that instead of having to return to the Union Base after every mission, I could just return to my home in Oblivia. That is, after getting an "okay" from my family and getting the plans approved and everything else…

"Crimson! Ready to leave?" I looked up to see Nema grinning at me from the doorway.

"You betcha," I laughed, kicking off the covers and getting to my feet. It had been quite a surprise when Aaron and mom agreed to letting me stay in Oblivia with Nema and her family after being released from the hospital. "Is the ride ready?"

"Well, papa's a bit worried that your wound might open up if you start riding again, but we have a Drifblim waiting for us outside," Nema replied, linking her arm with mine. "Let's go to the temporary Ranger Union and get your things all packed up. You'll give the orders and I'll do the packing."

"What, I'm not fit enough to pack my own bags?" I snorted as the two of us climbed into the basket that the Drifblim was holding onto.

"Well, we'll have papa carry them out to the Drifblim," Nema replied, giving Rand a sweet smile as the Pokémon took off. The ranger let out a long sigh and rubbed the small of his back absent-mindedly, as if soothing an ache.

"Actually, I strained my back just a few days ago. Can we get someone else to do it?" He asked.

"Why? Need someone younger to the job?" Nema teased.

"I'm plenty young," Rand retorted. "I'm just under the weather." Nema rolled her eyes and nudged me playfully in the side.

"So he says."

* * *

First Person – Ben's PoV

"Are you sure you can't remember her?" Julian pressed as we headed back to the dorms. "I mean, it's hard to believe that you remember everything _but_ her. If anything, Crimson's a big part of your life!"

"I don't know," I admitted. "The figure in my memories is all blackened out and such. I can't really tell who it is." Julian set his jaw to the side and studied the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Well, at least you'll have a nice dorm room all to yourself," he pointed out. "With Crimson moving out and such…Jamie's probably going to want to visit her soon." He paused. "Do you think the union might pair you up with someone new?"

"I don't see why," I replied. "I mean, most ranger pairs separate after they reach full membership. I'm a specialty ranger, if that makes any difference."

"Yeah, but look at Sven and Wendy," Julian snorted. "They're still partners and they're both Specialty Rangers. Speaking of which, what are you going to do about Professor Hastings' proposition?" A few weeks ago, the professor had asked me if I was willing to join a special ranger force also known as the SSQS. I was a bit hesitant about joining it—after all, it was a very dangerous job—but he didn't pressure me into it. He told me that if I felt like it was the best decision for me then I should go for it. Not to mention, he also added that Crimson was going to be leading the group, if I was interested in continuing my partnership with her.

"I don't know." It was the standardized reply that I gave Julian every single time he asked me about this topic. "I'm still thinking about it."

"Your answer better be good," Julian huffed. "Do you know how hard it is to become a specialty ranger? It's so much harder to be part of the SSQS than it is to get the lowest ranking in the SR scale! I say take the position. Try it out and maybe try to spark up your old partnership with Crimson. Even if you never end up remembering her, she's still a great partner to have." He paused and winced. "Ooh, sorry about that. That sounded really insensitive."

"No problem," I told him. "But I really am considering the position in the SSQS. I just feel like there's something holding me back right now." _Such as the dark person in my memories_, I thought to myself. _Everyone keeps on telling me that Crimson was my partner and that she's probably the blacked-out person in those memories, but I'm still not convinced. If anything, I'll need my memory back in order to confirm that one._

"Well, you better find out soon," Julian sighed, patting me on the back. "Well, I'm headed off to my dorm room. I promised Jamie that I would be staying over at the hospital tonight. She wants me to catch her up with what's going on in the Ranger Union while she recovers."

"Alright. See you later." I nodded to him and walked into my dorm room. The bed on the left—which I had assumed was Crimson's since my clothes were all stuffed in the bureaus on the right—was stripped bare. "Huh." I put my hands on my hips. "It wasn't like this earlier…" _Maybe Crimson was here during my practice?_ I thought to myself. _I mean, she's moving out to Oblivia to start setting up the headquarters for SSQS, right?_ **Yessiree**, Instinct replied. **And you're a fool for not going with her. **_**Instinct, don't push him!**_ Reason scolded. _**Ben will go in his own time**_. _And how are you so sure of that?_ I shot back.

If anything, waking up with blank spots in my memory and having two personas that somewhat represented "the angel" and "the devil" sitting on either shoulder wasn't the best way to come back to consciousness. I remembered them, of course, but it was still weird to have them talking in my head after they were locked away for several months.

"Starr!" Staraptor greeted me from where he perched on the windowsill.

"Hey buddy," I whispered, stroking his feathers softly before I lay down on my bed. "I think I'm going to take a quick nap before dinner. Wake me up soon, 'kay?" My Partner Pokémon cooed in acknowledgement and I dragged a blanket over me before closing my eyes.

* * *

_The water was full of bustling Pokémon. They would drift here, swim there, and scatter in all directions as I approached. I glanced at my Styler and noted the time—nine thirty in the morning. After this patrol, I'd go back to my station and grab something to eat before heading out and doing some favors for the people in the region. Afterwards, I'd try calling __Crimson__ and find out what she's been up to. It was difficult to be in a long-distance relationship, but it just made me appreciate the small moments I had with her much more._

_When I looked back up at my surroundings, the open ocean was almost empty. Frowning, I scanned the coral reefs and the depths below me. Funny, they didn't usually swim away like this. There must be something out here scaring them…_

_If so, it was my job to figure out what was causing the Pokémon to do this and put an end to it. I made up my resolve and turned around, ready to swim further out into the ocean. A dark object flew up toward the right side of my face, and before I knew it, my vision faded. There was a dull throb coming from my right temple and I barely felt the point of a needle poking into the underside of my elbow. I felt something tugging on the chain around my neck, and I lifted a hand immediately to protect my dog tags. My hand was pushed aside roughly and before I could react, another stinging blow was delivered to the right side of my head and I fell into darkness._

* * *

I woke up with a start and scrambled wildly as I realized I was slipping off of the bed. Staraptor let out a squawk of surprise when I slid off the side of my mattress and landed hard on the wooden floor. "_God!_" I hissed, turning onto my side as I pressed a hand to my aching back. "Falling off the bed? How is that even possible…?" I bit my lip and was about to hold back another curse when I saw something tucked under the bed frame of Crimson's bed.

I turned myself onto my stomach and groped for the object. I pulled out what looked like a well-loved and well-stuffed scrapbook. "What is this?" I smoothed my fingers over the cover, tracing the names "Crimson" and "Ben" that was scribbled on the front. "A scrapbook…?" I opened the book and stared at the picture with a small caption scribbled underneath it.

"_Ben and Crimson's first day of training!_" The caption read underneath the picture. I saw myself—two years younger—with an arm wrapped around a brunette's shoulders and grinning happily into the camera. The girl in the picture beside me had a much more reserved smile, but her blue eyes shone with the same excitement that was written all over my face.

"_Ben and his Staraptor. Survived the first flight!_" The next picture showed me clinging onto a Staraptor's back and Crimson hovering above me on another bird Pokémon. There was a look of terror on my face and the brunette girl looked as if she was trying her best not to laugh. **Remember when Crimson tried to teach you how to fly again when you were with the Sarins?** Instinct asked. **You made the same face back then too.** _I thought you said you were locked away in some sort of black orb. __**We were**_, Reason affirmed. _**But we were still able to see what was happening to you.**_

"_Jumped three ranks?! Ben & Crimson are Red-Orange rangers now!_" Crimson was laughing hard in the picture, cheeks flushed and eyes squeezed tightly as her lips spread to reveal a bright smile. I looked exhausted but absolutely overjoyed in this picture with one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other lifted into the sky. **You two partied for so long after the promotion**, Instinct murmured wistfully. **If only we celebrated your later achievements. But nooo, you were too busy!** _**Instinct**_, Reason warned. _**Be reasonable.**_ **Heck no!** Instinct shot back. **That's your job!**

I flipped past a couple of pages and stared at the picture pasted in the middle of the page. "_Finally a couple! Ben and Crimson forever!_" Crimson had her blue eyes focused on me in the picture and our foreheads were pressed together. The two of us were smiling each other as if we were the only things that mattered in the world. I felt a twinge in my heart as I ran my finger down the side of the photo. **You two were so cute together**, Instinct sighed. **Did I mention how much I like Crimson? I love Crimson. **_**You were happy, Ben**_, Reason agreed. _**I'm just not sure whether we're actually happy now.**_

"I want to remember you," I whispered to the picture. "I want to remember all the things we did together. I don't want to think about what we were or stare at these pictures. I want to see what we are. I want…" Images flashed through my head. _Crimson and I kissing at my nineteenth birthday party. Crimson and I slow dancing on The Union. Crimson in my dream—_something snapped in my head and my vision faded for a second.

**He did it! **Instinct yelped. **Kiddo, you've got it! **He danced around happily, even dragging Reason along with him as he twirled around in circles. **Ya see that, Reason? Ya see that? I told ya that if we bothered him enough about Crimson that he'd remember!** _**It was the scrapbook, I tell you!**_ Reason yelled, but he looked happy enough for me. **Well Ben?** Instinct prompted. **Go after her!**

As if those three words were the trigger, my eyesight cleared suddenly and I leapt to my feet. "Come on, Staraptor!" I shouted, throwing open the door. "To Oblivia!"

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

I stepped along the riverside that bordered the Sophian Road, watching the water ripple and dance. I kicked at a rock along the way and let out a long sigh. I'd managed to catch Julian and drag him off before he went to afternoon practice earlier today, and he told me that Ben's memory loss hadn't improved yet. _Stupid Ben_, I thought to myself, aiming another kick. _How could you remember everyone else but me? If you lose a memory, at least lose the entire one!_

According to Julian, Ben greeted everyone by name. "He probably shouldn't see you," Julian told me. "It might either trigger a relapse or it might actually make him lose all the memory that he's regained. It's too big of a risk to take." _And being told that you can't even see the guy you love? Well isn't my life wonderfully perfect._ I swung my legs over the bulky rocks that bordered the river and settled down on the flat surface. Kicking lazily at the air, I leaned back and let out a long sigh. If anything, my life was going on standby. According to Professor Hastings, I wouldn't be allowed to start setting up the new base for the SSQS until he found a couple rangers who were able to join. Ben still hadn't remembered me, Blue Eyes went off to study under a beautician, and Red Eyes had disappeared to wherever he likes to disappear off to.

It turned out that Murph and one of his crewmembers had eventually discovered that Starmies would fight for breeding rights only under captivity. It was an amazing feat that sounded very unlikely, but according to Murph, he had scientific proof. Leanne had published another great article about the ruins in Oblivia, and Nema had invented at least ten new things while I was with the Sarins and in the hospital. Nema told me that I could try out her inventions as soon as I healed completely from my bullet wound (I was convinced that I was already healed) and said that in the meantime, I'd be helping her with taking notes of how the QS Taser was working rather than actually testing it out myself.

Nick and Booker were fine as always with their boat-making and bridge-building. Ralph, Booker's grandson, had told me of his dream of working for Pokémon as a doctor and was currently studying under Herb.

It seemed as if everyone had something to do in their lives whereas I was stuck with the absolutely infuriating and exhausting task of healing. I considered myself a very active person, and I absolutely hated to just sit around and do nothing. I vowed to myself that the last thing that I would do in the future missions to come is get shot at again.

"Crimson!" Startled, I lifted my head to see a dark figure dropping from the sky. I scrambled onto my feet and leapt off of the rocks, rushing to where the figure was rolling onto his back to lessen the impact of landing.

"Ben?!" _What's going on? He's not supposed to remember me!_ "What are you doing? You could've gotten yourself killed! You know you're not supposed to jump off a Staraptor if you're over thirty feet off the ground," I snapped, rolling him onto his stomach and checking to see if his shoulders were bruised.

"Geez, Crimson, you never stop, don't cha?" Ben complained, twisting around so that he was onto his back again and grabbed my wrist. He wrapped one arm around me and pulled me close. _This Ben doesn't know who he is_, I thought wildly to myself. _This Ben is bluffing. This is probably a joke. Alabaster, stop joking and turn back to yourself right now. Ben doesn't remember me!_

"Alabaster, quit joking," I rasped, pushing at the imposter's shoulders and trying to pull myself off of him. "You don't even know Ben."

"Alabaster? Is he like some guy like Kasa?" The boy asked innocently.

"Alabaster!" I hissed. "Stop kidding around!"

"I'm not Alabaster, Crimson." The imposter gave me an exasperated look. "I'm Ben. Benjamin Polari. I have the tags to prove it."

"Alabaster can recreate accessories."

"Well then, I have two younger siblings."

"Alabaster can access information easily."

"Alabaster doesn't have a Staraptor as a Partner Pokémon."

"Alabaster wasn't on a Staraptor—Alabaster had been a Staraptor and turned into a human before jumping out of the sky."

"What—" He broke off, shaking his head in confusion. "Well then, it seems that Alabaster hasn't kissed you," the imposter said slowly. "But I have." He poked me in the sides and I squeaked, instinctively dropping my arms to hug my waist. _Bad move_. One arm came up behind my head and pulled me toward the imposter. Before I could push away again, my lips met his.

His warmth. His scent. I melted immediately, surrendering to him. _I guess Ben isn't the only one that can make me feel this way_, I sighed inwardly. _I'm such a horrible girlfriend to a boyfriend that doesn't even remember me. Speaking of which, why do I even care?_ The arms around me slackened and I forced myself to tear myself away. "I have a boyfriend," I warned.

"I am your boyfriend," the imposter replied, tightening his grip and kissing the edge of my jaw. I shivered at the light, feathery kisses. "And I'm pretty sure that I'd go apeshit on whoever you consider as your boyfriend if it isn't me." He looked up at me, his brown eyes steadying my gaze. "How do I prove it to you?" He brushed my hair behind my ear. "Should I call on Staraptor? Should I bring out Ukulele Pichu? Should I talk about Alisha, Ambar, or Shanti? Should I," his narrowed slightly and he watched me as I continued to struggle against him. "Tell you about the kiss I shared with you during my nineteenth birthday party?"

I froze in his arms and the corner of his lips curled up in triumph. "The lemonade was drugged," I croaked.

"But I was still sober. Or at least, sober enough to remember you," he replied, pressing a kiss to the corner of my lips. "What else do I have to do to prove that I'm the Ben you loved? What about that time we went stargazing at the Ranger Union?" He brushed his nose against mine. "We had a blanket and a small bowl of fruits to share between the two of us…Julian and Jamie caught us kissing and told us to get a room…Even though we shared a room…" My heart softened with each word that came out of his mouth. He lifted my hand to his mouth and nuzzled each fingertip lovingly. "That night that we danced together on the Union when we were heading off to the manor…I was so angry that you were dancing like that with Ambar." He nipped the pad of my index finger hard, as if punishing me. His eyes softened when I flinched at the bite.

"You still remember that?" I croaked, clutching onto his shoulder with my free hand.

"Of course I do," Ben snorted, kissing the palm of my hand. "I remember trapping you against that tree the night of the raid…" My cheeks heated up at his words and he looked a little sheepish as he traced circles on my wrist with his thumb. "I wanted to know why I couldn't remember you. I wanted to know why I was so entranced by every single move that you made. I wanted to know why I got jealous every time Ambar got too close to you or why I wanted to possess you so much. But I remembered. All thanks to that one book."

"What book?" I pulled back slightly, sobering up with a frown.

"That scrapbook," Ben replied, tugging me back down. I have a half-hearted squeak in protest before returning to my earlier position, hovering over him. "You know—the one that we had to start at the beginning of our partnership and keep adding to it as the years passed? I forgot about it after a bit, but it seems like you were pretty diligent when it came to filling it up with pictures." I blushed harder and turned my head away, remembering the rather…corny captions that I had scribbled underneath the pictures. "I wish you had one of us kissing though."

"Ben!" I reprimanded, slapping his chest gently. "That would be inappropriate!"

"You finally called me Ben again," he breathed softly. "So are you convinced yet?"

"I feel like you've forced me to be convinced," I growled defensively. Ben laughed softly and pulled me back down for a kiss.

"This makes me wonder why I didn't just start sneaking into your room back at the manor." Ben shook his head slowly, as if he was in shock. "We could've been in your room, sharing the covers…"

"Ben!" He laughed again and grabbed a hold of my wrists to stop me from punching him.

"Crimson," he whispered. His brown eyes softened as they met mine. "Marry me."

* * *

A/N: *Squeals* Happy ending for all of us? CLIFFHANGER BOMB!

Quick shout-out to someone who recently favorited my story: Thank you so much, **Eclipsegirl4488**! It's awesome that you enjoyed my story enough to favorite it (but I have a feeling that the pool of Summer x Ben shippers isn't very large) and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Anyway, look for the next two chapters! I'm guessing that we'll have at least two more and a third if we're lucky.

Love ya guys! :)

R&R!


	22. Chapter 21

Last chapter of the story (NOOO!). Please read the next chapter (which will also be posted today) in order to find out what happens to all the other characters and stay tuned for reader/favoriter/follower/reviewer shout-outs!

* * *

I awoke to feather-light kisses being scattered insistently onto my face. With a groan, I turned away, pulling the blankets until they covered half of my face. The mattress dipped slightly as a warm weight draped over me and the small, ticklish pecks continued. I let out a small whimper and swatted blindly at whatever was responsible for waking me up. "Crimson, it's well past ten O'clock," someone whispered against my hand. "Wake up."

"Pichu!" Another voice agreed. Bleary-eyed and half-asleep, I stared irritably at the two faces that were staring down at me innocently.

"You two are devils," I groaned before pushing the blankets down. "Off. Get off. I'm up." Ben smiled at me before kissing my ring finger and hopping off the bed. I frowned when I felt only a portion of his lips press against my skin and glanced at left hand. When I saw a platinum band and a small garnet twinkling at the base of my finger, my heart nearly stopped in my chest. "Ben, I…" I blinked at him, suddenly overwhelmed with a mixture of disbelief and longing. My eyes filled with tears and I blinked rapidly, trying hard to hold them in.

"Hey, it's okay," he cooed. "Don't start the waterworks again; you had already soaked my shirt from yesterday." I scoffed at him and threw a half-hearted swat in his direction before Ukulele Pichu took my left hand into his paws. I watched as he studied the ring on my finger and then moved toward it with his mouth open. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy!" Ben grabbed him just before his teeth closed around the band. "I know you're unhappy that I didn't tell you before I proposed, but don't go damaging that ring! I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

There was something about Ben's desperation to gain Pichu's blessing that made me burst into a fit of laugher. I was aware of Ben's warm eyes watching over me as I wiped the corners of my eyes and looked down happily at the ring. "I still can't believe it," I whispered. "We're getting married." Ben covered my hand with his and I looked up just in time to return the kiss he gave me.

"A dream come true," he whispered, giving my hand a little squeeze. "Do you know when the floor plans will be approved?"

"Why? Planning for the honeymoon already?" I teased.

"Well, I'm not very interested in spending it in a hotel in the Aqua Resort or in Rand's house," Ben replied dryly, eyes flickering toward the bed. A wave of embarrassment washed over me when I caught the meaning of his words.

"Ben!"

"What?" He complained. "It's perfectly normal for someone to want some privacy on his honeymoon!" He cocked his head to the side with a mischievous grin on his face. "That is, unless you want others to hear it—"

"Language!" I yelped, quickly covering his mouth with my hands. "Don't—no! That'll never happen!" Ben laughed around my fingers and kissed the palms of my hands softly.

"I was kidding," he told me. "Let's go somewhere special. Why not go somewhere special, like the tropics or something? A month or so in a paradise…" He murmured as he kissed the tips of my fingers.

"A month? That's too long," I argued. "A week should be enough."

"God, woman, can't you see that I'm trying to make up for lost time?" Ben wailed, dropping his head dramatically. "Three weeks?"

"Two," I said quickly.

"Two and a half?"

"Two."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Ben…what makes you think that we can afford a trip like that?"

"Well…let me think. We're both Specialty Rangers—mind you, professionals—and are heading the newest sector of the Ranger Classes. Our paychecks should suffice to paying for a seven-year trip at the most."

"Mind you, the only money going into that trip is going to be yours. I promised Blue Eyes and Red Eyes that I'd pay for their tuition when they go and pursue a career in something that they really love. Not to mention that, but I have to pay reparations."

"What reparations? You know how Kamran and Rashmi refused to let us pay them back for the damage that was caused to the mansion."

"To Nema, of course! Not to mention, I still have to pay the hospital bill after I get my next paycheck. Also, I'm currently on medical standby, so I'm earning half of the regular ranger salary right now."

"Why to Nema? She's getting enough fame right now."

"Because Nema deserves to have some more money to boost her tuition! She's helped us so much that I don't know how to help her otherwise!"

"Alright, alright. But mark my words, Nema's going to kill you when she finds out what you've done. If anything I bet she's probably going to pay for half the wedding! What else do we need to spend money on?"

"Well, as you mentioned, the wedding. And what makes you think that I'm going to let Nema pay for it?" Ben shrugged and I shot him an exasperated glare. "Not to mention, I was planning to donate a good sum of my upcoming paychecks to help pay for repairing the Ranger Union and creating the home base for the SSQS." Ben sighed at the list that I had just made.

"Sounds like our wedding is going to be postponed for a long time."

"Well, at least it makes it easier for me to decide whether I want to be stuck with you for there rest of my life or not," I teased.

"You want to be stuck with me forever," he shot back, watching Ukulele Pichu clamber out of his arms and into mine. "And mark my words, Ukulele Pichu, I won't even let you ruin my honeymoon."

"Someone's clingy," I muttered to the yellow Pokémon in my arms. The electric mouse snorted in amusement, as if agreeing with me. "Not to mention, that person's probably woken up on the wrong side of bed this morning too." Raising my voice a little, I continued. "And somebody sounds too desperate to have a honeymoon."

"Just want to make sure that the love of my life doesn't run away from me at the last second," he replied sweetly. However, the dangerous look in his eyes hinted that he had heard my earlier words to Pichu. "And I did wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. That bed's too small for the two of us. Let's get something bigger and a little more comfy."

"My, home plans already?" I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "Already thinking ahead, aren't you? I thought that was my job."

"What can I say? You've rubbed off on me," Ben retorted, reaching over pressing a kiss to my jaw. "And besides," he murmured, "I'm feeling _particularly_ clingy this morning. Probably because I'm not being showered with kisses by my wonderful fiancée who cried so happily at my proposal and at my choice of wedding ring."

"Pichu! Call for backup! I repeat, call for Nema!" I squeaked as Ben pushed me down and nipped at my lips. The yellow Pokémon took off in a second, bolting out the door and racing down the hallway.

"You know, Nema's going to find us in a rather compromising situation," Ben mused as he nibbled my ear. I shivered at his touch and my attempts to get him off of me were becoming half-hearted and weak. "But I don't mind." I blinked dazedly at him before registering his words. I felt the heat suddenly rush to my face and I shrieked as I tried to push him off of me. Laughing, he sat up and lifted his arms in defense as Nema threw open the door and saw me swinging my pillow at Ben's head.

She stared at us for a couple of seconds before cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting, "you get'em Crimson! Show'em what you're made of!"

"Nema!" This was no doubt, one of them most embarrassing moments of my life. Ben laughed as he pulled me into his lap and held me to him until I stopped fighting. "You. Are. Insufferable," I grit out. "Don't make me call on Pichu."

"Pichu won't shock me," Ben shot back lazily.

"Don't count on it. Pichu!" I called. When the yellow Pokémon raced forward with static coming from its cheeks, Ben's eyes widened in fear and he tumbled backwards.

* * *

"He should be on my side," Ben grumbled, tenderly nursing his lightly electrocuted body.

"He was always on mine," I replied, stroking the fur on Pichu's head. Although I didn't regret sending Pichu after Ben (my dignity was in danger), I did feel sympathetic for his current state. Blue Eyes had been numb for hours the first time that Pichu electrocuted her.

"Ben, it's time for a patrol," Rand called as he made his way down the stairs.

"What? In this condition?" Ben looked exasperated. "Give me a break! I can't even feel my legs yet!"

"I can go," I offered.

"Wait, was this all a ploy so that you could go patrolling? Rand!" He complained. "Crimson told Pichu to electrocute me so I can't go patrolling! She wants to go in my place even though she's supposed to be resting under _doctor's orders_."

"Well, doctors are overrated…" Rand mused, much to Ben's disbelief.

"Not helping, Rand!"

"Okay then, how about this? You two will go on a patrol _together_ regardless of how much time it takes you. Ben, you and Crimson will explore Mitonga and Reinbow Island until your numbness wears off and you can visit the other four islands. Crimson, after your patrol with Ben, come back here and help with Nema's testing."

"But that's hardly fair!" I protested. "I've been resting properly like everyone's been telling me for the past three weeks and I should be able to go out and actually do my job! My wound doesn't hurt and I'm pretty sure it'll take another bullet to make it bleed again." Rand winced at my words and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"You know, those are the same exact words Papa said after he broke a rib on a mission a couple of years back," Nema commented. "By the time that he finished patrolling all the different islands, he was completely numb and it was three days from when he had last taken off!"

"I speak from experience, Crimson," Rand coughed softly. "If you want to have any chance patrolling in the next week or two, you'll have to go out with either Ben or me and avoid confrontation with agitated Pokémon. If you don't follow the conditions I've set, I'm sure that Aaron would be very willing to pay us a long visit here in Oblivia. Not to mention, he may not be very happy with you and Ben right now." He had a point. I glanced down at the band on my finger and nodded reluctantly.

"Oh, speaking of visitors, Zenith said that he's going to drop by in a couple of hours or so. He says that all of his Pokémon had gone absolutely crazy when they heard you were in the hospital," Nema informed us. "If you want to, you can wait on the patrol until Zenith gets here and then you three can go together."

"Nema…I'm not sure Zenith would be very happy with me either," Ben said slowly. "I mean, Crimson's told me of what Zenith had done to her past boyfriends…"

"Really? Do tell." Nema turned her blue eyes onto me.

"I really think that we should get going with this patrol," I said quickly. "It's bad if we start too late." Rand shrugged at my words.

"Oblivia is peaceful and all the Pokémon are fine. The patrols are just to make sure that everybody's doing what they can to respect one another." I shot him a look.

"Not helping, Rand."

"Come on, Crimson. If you tell me, I'll let you test the Taser," Nema cooed. "I'll also convince Papa to cut your recovery time to a week rather than two."

"Fine! There was this one boy in middle school who tried to kiss me at one of our school dances and Zenith popped up after coming home from one of his expeditions and he punched the guy in the face. Happy?" I snapped, feeling my cheeks heating up slightly. "Zenith nearly sent Arky and Paladin after the guy and I had to go back to school with people teasing me and saying that Zenith and I were oh-so-in-love."

"That's not that embarrassing," Nema pointed out.

"That's not the point—" I ran my hand through my hair. "It's just that I have some really possessive guardians in my life and it's really bad if any of them find out that Ben proposed, alright? They don't even know him yet." Nema suddenly looked very worried and glanced at the door guiltily. I frowned at her and she let out a nervous laugh when the sound of wing flaps filled the air.

"Well, one of them is about to find out."

* * *

Unexpectedly, Zenith didn't blow up like I had thought he would. He looked a little irritated about the fact that I suddenly became engaged with someone before he even got to evaluate the guy, but otherwise, he was handling the situation fairly well. "Let's just say I'm a little more accepting when it comes to people that try to get close to you," Zenith sighed as the three of us took off on our patrol. "But your brother's going to strangle you if he finds out that you have a fiancé now. He looked about ready to blow up when Lynne mentioned that Ben was your boyfriend."

I face-palmed and cursed my brother. Stupid overprotective siblings. "Can you advocate for me when he finds out?"

"Depends. I'll have to find out if I like your fiancé or not."

"Believe it or not, her fiancé has a name and doesn't like to be referred to in third person," Ben said dryly. Zenith studied Ben's face curiously before turning to face me.

"You said that he was a fan of mine. He doesn't seem to be very happy about it, though," he commented.

"That's because the fact that he hasn't gotten permission from either of my guardians—yes, Aaron is a guardian—to date me or your blessing for our current relationship. And it might also be because he was looking forward to spending all day with me but you decided to visit so his corny, romantic side is currently hiding behind an irritable mask of displeasure," I informed him. "Ben's a traditionalist, and he's a hopeless romantic at times too."

"And even my own fiancée talks about me as if I'm not really here," Ben groaned softly as we walked on. I gave Ben a sympathetic look and leaned in to peck him on the cheek. "Should I stop moping and just start acting like a fanatic right now? There's a world-famous Pokémon Master standing right in front of me and I still haven't said a single word to him."

"Well, I guess it'd be good for you two to be acquainted. How else are you going to stand in my defense if you don't even know Ben?" I sped up my pace slightly and threw a look at them over my shoulder. "Not that it's hard, anyway. Ben's like an open book."

"Hey!" Laughing, I sped ahead, leaving the two men behind me to gather their thoughts and come to a truce.

* * *

It was dusk when Zenith decided that it was about time for him to go home. Ben seemed genuinely disappointed to see him go and Zenith regarded my fiancé kindly as he left. "Seems like the two of you bonded pretty easily," I commented as the two of us settled down onto Nema's porch.

"Well, it's not hard to find guys with a lot of similarities," Ben replied, chuckling softly as he laced our fingers together. He hummed contentedly as he smoothed his hand over the platinum ring.

"Speaking of which, how did you even get the ring? You told me that you remembered everything yesterday but you just flew over without a warning…" I frowned, studying the band curiously. "I don't remember you leaving in the middle of the night." Ben's face was a mixture of embarrassment and discomfort.

"Well, I—um—bought it a couple of weeks after we first got together," he confessed. My eyes grew wide. He had bought it that early on in our relationship?! "I mean, I sorta knew that you were 'the one' if you get what I'm mean." He chewed on his lip nervously. "I know it was really impulsive and brash of me to just jump the gun and get a ring and all, but I had this whole fantasy about how I'd propose and you'd accept regardless of the conditions and we'd live happily ever after…" His cheeks were bright red when he lifted his head and stared at me. "What?" He demanded, flushing.

I was dumbfounded. Never had anyone treated me so passionately yet innocently at the same time. Of course I had dreamed of a life with Ben and living my years in happiness, but I had always brushed it off as a daydream. Ben was the better of me. He held onto these dreams while I threw them aside. He was everything that I needed. "Crimson?" Ben asked softly, sounding more concerned than irritable.

"You have no idea how important you are to me, don't you?" I muttered into his shoulder. I felt his muscles tense slightly as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You're everything that I never could be. You're optimistic where I'm pessimistic. You're caring where I'm blunt. You smile and you make my world light up." I nearly choked on my words then. "God, Ben, I'm not sure who needs the other more. I'm pretty sure I need you more than you could ever need me."

"Don't say that, Crimson," he whispered, pressing a kiss to my temple. I blinked at him before reaching into my shirt and pulling out my dog tags.

"I want—" My eyes met his. "—to show you this." I swallowed awkwardly. "I need to show you this if I…I need to tell you something but I need to show you this first."

"Shhh, it's alright," Ben coaxed, pressing his nose comfortingly against mine. "I'm here, Crimson." Closing my eyes, I cradled my dog tag in my hand and whispered the words that were engraved on its front.

"_If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail_," I recited quietly. I felt Ben prodding me with the tip of his nose and looked up into his brown eyes.

"Sounds like the perfect quote for the two of us," he murmured. "The Ranger Union wasn't wrong when they partnered us together. They called us 'the golden pair'." He snorted with amusement. "Maybe the admins should focus on being matchmakers instead of pairing up rangers. They picked the one person I couldn't live without to be my partner." He kissed me until I was breathless and drew back reluctantly. "You know, when I was in elementary school, people kept on telling me to grow up and stop dreaming. But then I stumbled along this saying, '_Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever'_. That's the quote that I chose. Sounds like my dreams came true in the end, huh?" he chuckled softly.

"How so?" I prompted, tracing the edge of his jaw distractedly.

"I found paradise." His eyes darkened slightly when he tilted his head to kiss my fingertips. "I have amazing friends who wouldn't betray me for the world. I have a job that I love because of who I work with, what I work with, and what it does to benefit the world. And I found the love of my life." He nipped the pad of my ring finger before giving it an apologetic kiss. "Who just so happens to love me back."

"Ben," I whispered before he pulled me into a heartfelt kiss. "Ben."

* * *

"Aaron," Mom warned, tightening her grip around his waist. I stood warily between him and Ben, doing my best to keep the angry cop away from my fiancé. "You keep doing this and I swear that your father will come back to haunt you forever."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Aaron roared, completely ignoring mom. "Maybe then I would've actually approved!"

"When do you ever approve?" I snapped back.

* * *

First Person – Nema's PoV

"Are they always like this?" I whispered to Crimson's mom.

"Pretty much," she replied sheepishly. "I wished they could've inherited their father's temper instead."

"I don't know; you're handling this better than they are."

"Well, I guess I've mellowed out." Lynne looked sympathetically at Ben. "Don't bother butting in," she called. "You won't do anything but add fuel to the fire. Poor kid," she murmured, turning her head back to me. "He's probably used to being the one doing all the saving and protecting. That's not how it's done in our family, though. Last time Aaron brought home a girlfriend and Crimson nearly tore the girl's hair out."

"Overprotective much?" The two of us laughed for a moment. "But that's weird. Crimson doesn't strike me as the overprotective kind."

"Well, if you have to think about it, Crimson has a much better temper than Aaron. Aaron's more patient when it comes to suspects and criminals and whatever else he works with, but Crimson's just harder to aggravate overall." Lynne shook her head slowly, a small smile on her face. "But when you get Crimson angry, she stays like that for much longer. She can hold grudges up to a week. There was this one time when Aaron and Crimson were fighting over his girlfriend and Crimson stopped talking to him for weeks. Aaron was so devastated that he almost lost his job _and_ his girlfriend." Lynne chuckled. "Well, not that Crimson wasn't happy about the latter, that is."

"Do you think Crimson's going to convince him to get over the fact that she's engaged soon?"

"Well, I almost wish that Ben could've asked _me_ for my daughter's hand first, but I guess it was a complete spur-of-the-moment proposal."

"It was," I agreed. "Papa and I were really surprised when we suddenly found Ben and Crimson sitting together in the forest. Not to mention, Crimson was crying really hard and Ben looked like he had just won the lottery."

"I suppose I would've given away my daughter anyway," Lynne sighed. "From what's she's told me about Ben during her time in the hospital, I can tell that they care for each other very much. And besides, it seems that Crimson's happiest when she's around him."

"Payback's a bitch so get over it!" Lynne's head snapped up and her blue eyes blazed angrily.

"Aaron, I don't care if you're twenty-four or seventy-nine, but either way, you'll watch your language!" She snapped. "And stop making your sister angry! Just because your girlfriends weren't good enough in Crimson's eyes means that she cares enough about you to make sure that you were picking the right person!"

"But she hated _every one_!" Aaron yelled, turning around.

"Well Ben is _the only one_ that Crimson's ever thought of actually introducing to us! Take that into consideration, will you?" Aaron's face scrunched up in distaste and I saw Ben squeeze Crimson's hand. The female ranger was shaking with rage. "Not to mention, you're about to make Crimson cry," Lynne pointed out. A look of horror flickered across Aaron's face and he whirled around.

"Are not!" Crimson shouted. "Just because you're scared of telling Haley how you feel doesn't mean that you should push all your frustration on me!"

"Wha-What?" Aaron spluttered. "I don't like her!"

"Yes you do," Lynne called, once again turning Aaron's attention to herself. "You have ever since kindergarten."

"I haven't!" He repeated. I glanced at Lynne for confirmation and she nodded.

"Then tell that to her face. Get me the phone, Nema, I'm going to call her," Crimson told me.

"Gotcha," I called back, heading into the house and snatching the phone off its stand. "Catch!" I threw it to her and she dialed the number snootily, as if making a show.

"Don't!" Aaron wailed, quickly turning his attention back to Crimson.

* * *

First Person – Crimson's PoV

It seemed like the wedding was going to be postponed much longer than we had originally planned. The floor plans for the new SSQS base and my house in Oblivia were finally "okay"ed by Professor Hastings, so we were expecting it to be finished in about six months or so after all of the contracting and whatnot. I had eventually convinced Ben and Aaron to go out on little hang-outs in an attempt to improve the relationship between them. My brother was still against my current engagement, but he begrudgingly agreed to get to know Ben before he made his decision. After all, if he refused to even _try_ to like Ben, I would call Haley and tell him that my brother's been in love with her since kindergarten.

In the mean time, Nema and I were working on the protocol for her Taser. It discharged frequently (resulting in panic and fires) and proved to be unstable. Booker dropped by from time to time to help improve it, but otherwise, Nema and I were completely on our own. We wore suits of rubber and eventually moved our testing area to the clearing by the old storehouse and Booker Bridge. Ralph usually finished his daily lesson with Herb around twelve, so he often came by to help us record information and suggest possible adjustments to the technology.

The SSQS started to recruit members and our current group totaled up to five rangers. Although Kellyn, Jamie, and Julian were now part of the special defense unit, they chose to make the Ranger Union their designated "return" area after each mission. Despite the fact that Ben and I still need to convince Aaron to give us his blessing, it seemed like the rough waters had passed and the days to come would be full of laughter.

* * *

First Person – Nema's PoV

It's been about seven years since the "Utopia" incident. Blue Eyes was now a certified beautician and busied herself with doing the makeup and hair for upcoming movie actors. Red Eyes pursued a career in engineering and eventually found a girl that settled in his heart. Ralph was studying abroad (we considered studying in other regions as "abroad") and was focusing on becoming a well-trained doctor with a background in herbology and botany. Booker had retired eventually, and although Nick became the designated "master of the boats", he was still constantly scolded by his former teacher. Booker, in his ridiculous amounts of free time, played with the village children, crafted small boat models that were later used by Nick to create larger scaled boats, and occasionally built canoes.

Papa's nearing his mid-fifties now, but he's still working for the Ranger Union even though Professor Hastings (still not retired, just like Booker) kept bothering him about retirement. Papa complains frequently about how the professor is a hypocrite, but he has passed on the majority of patrols to the other two rangers who were stationed here in Oblivia. Mom has more admirers than ever, and ironically, the more people she turns down, the more dedicated they become. Her reports about Crimson and the ancient architecture of Oblivia have made her a very popular archeologist within her society, which probably explains why she has so many admirers.

The Sarin family was doing well from what I've heard from Crimson. It turns out that Mr. Sarin felt so compelled by what Crimson was doing that he actually did create a fictional story based off of her achievements and her personality. Mrs. Sarin visited from time to time and sparred with Crimson and I on her visits. Ambar, after apologizing to Crimson for what happened on the night of the raid (I was about to tear his face off after I had heard what happened), eventually repaired the friendship between the two of them. He was gaining a lot of fame as the rising successor to his father's multi-million empire and was undoubtedly becoming a very popular bachelor within the business world.

According to Mrs. Sarin, Alisha had decided to focus her studies on politics and law with the intention in becoming a very powerful figure in society. Marut was excelling in his studies and was quickly becoming a talented scientist. At fifteen years old, he had been scouted by several different scientific organizations and was nominated to receive many awards recognizing him for his academic achievements. Shanti was also very successful with her goals. She eventually joined a very well-known software company and was studying very diligently under the wing of an experienced and popular mentor.

From what Crimson had told me, her brother Aaron finally accepted his own feelings and confessed to Zenith's sister Haley. They were happily married several weeks ago in a small and humble wedding. Zenith had made a lifelong friend (a man named Carter) during his time in the Johto region and fell in love with a diligent Pokémon breeder named Alvery. Julian and Jamie were married about five years ago and were busy raising their two children while juggling their obligation to their duties as rangers.

Although I'm hardly considered humble, I have to say that my achievements haven't been as amazing as Crimson's. Sure, I've become a world-renowned inventor (who, mind you, has more failed projects than successful inventions) and a well known professional in my field, but I feel like my efforts are small compared to what Crimson had been through. Like me, she's had ups and downs and times where she felt the ground was going to fall out from underneath her. But the life she led was a life that was well-deserved.

Crimson and Ben were married six years ago at the age of twenty. Their wedding was (surprisingly) small and had only invited the people who were very close to Crimson and Ben. Ben's family, Crimson's family, Zenith's family, and my family were all invited to join. Nick, Booker, Professor Hastings, Blue Eyes, Red Eyes, Jamie, and Julian were also called to the wedding. Blue Eyes eventually showed me the pictures that she had taken the night of Ben's nineteenth birthday, but the Crimson that I had seen smiling at me from where she was waiting for the walk down the aisle was the most beautiful Crimson I had ever seen.

Dressed in a simple wedding gown and holding a small bouquet of forget-me-nots in her hands, Crimson looked as if she actually radiated light. "You look amazing," Crimson whispered. (Crimson, for some reason, insisted that the bridesmaids wouldn't have a uniform dress. She told us to come in whatever was comfortable and whatever we thought looked best). There was an air of happiness and contentment around her as she waited for Aaron to lead her down the aisle. Since their father had passed away, Aaron offered to walk his sister to where Ben would be waiting. It was heartwarming to see how he eventually warmed up to his sister's fiancé, but it wouldn't be long before he would have a wedding of his own. Getting back on topic, I had almost cried when Crimson offered me the position of being her maid of honor. Ben chose Julian to be his best man.

When the ceremony actually began, I literally heard Ben's breath catch in his throat as Aaron led Crimson down the aisle. Jamie and I turned toward each other and giggled at each other. Ben's eyes softened when Crimson reached him, and she smiled at him behind her veil. The two of them exchanged their vows and were given their rings (Ben thought it would be amazing to have Pichu as the designated ring-bearer) by Ukulele Pichu, who had strummed his ukulele and walked over with the rings balanced on top of his head. After the rings were fitted onto hands, Ben lifted Crimson's veil and kissed her. The ceremony was then concluded and everyone filtered out of the church to see all of Zenith's Pokémon and the legendaries of Oblivia waiting outside.

The reception afterwards was fun, but it wasn't _as_ memorable as the actual ceremony. Aaron not only told an embarrassing story about Crimson but also handed the bouquet (Crimson had actually thrown the bouquet _at him_ while she was heading out of the church) to Haley. Of course, instead of asking for marriage, Aaron asked for her to go out with him. Red-faced and all, Haley accepted and the two of them joined the new couple on the dance floor to celebrate.

As expected, Crimson and Ben left on their honeymoon and promised to be back in two and a half weeks. Red Eyes had teased them about what they'd be doing during their stay, but Ben merely smirked at him and made a show of him giving Crimson another long kiss. Blue Eyes rolled her eyes at her brother and muttered something about how he had been "asking for it".

Crimson eventually got the life that everyone thought she deserved. She currently has two children and it seems as if she and Ben are considering having a third (well, more like Ben). I babysit the children from time to time and Blue Eyes drops so frequently that I'm almost convinced that she's considering to move in. It seems like the future ahead of us not only holds a lot of promise for the generations to come, but also a legacy that would be remembered for all those who follow.

* * *

A/N: *Smiles* PLEASE READ THE NEXT CHAPTER!


	23. Chapter 22

Hey guys, I know you're dying to know what happened in the very end with all the other characters that have been featured in this story (well, maybe not). As you know, Crimson and Ben are married. However, it turns out that _Ben_ changes his last name instead of Crimson changing hers. And yes, they eventually did have three kids together. Their eldest son is Felix, their youngest is named Owen, and their only daughter is named Zephyr.

Nema found the love of her life when she was twenty-eight. She met him at one of her conventions and the two of them started out as friends. She marries him about two years later and they end up having two kids together, both in which adore inventions just as much as their mom does. Her husband's name is Thomas and their children's names are Emily and Robert.

I didn't actually plan for Blue Eyes to get married, but she does end up becoming very famous because of her amazing skills as a beautician. Red Eyes marries his girlfriend after a year or two and they have one baby boy together.

Nick marries one of the girls from Cocona Village and Ralph eventually finds his match at one of his college seminars. Ambar also (eventually) finds 'the one' and breaks his bachelor streak to marry her. The rest of his siblings are also all happily married (with the exception for Marut; partially because I'm so attached to him and mostly because he's too young).

Zenith does get married to Alvery and they end up settling down in a large plot of land beside Crimson and Ben's house. They started up a daycare center as Oblivia became a much more popular place for tourists.

Carter is actually the name of the character that I play as in HeartGold. I thought it'd be pretty cool to just pop him in there and get him some recognition. And since you can't get Growlithes or Dratinis in Emerald, Sapphire, or Ruby, he's the one that actually has Paladin and Arky (in the games). In this story, however, he has an Arcanine and a Dragonite with different names.

Murph gets a happy ending too! He ends up finding love in one of his crewmates and marries her eventually.

Jamie and Julian, as you know from the earlier chapter, have two children together. I haven't actually decided what their names were going to be, but I'm pretty proud of the fact that my two non-canon characters get a happy ending too.

Anyway, this marks the conclusion/ending of the series "GS: If Divided, All Will Fall"! Thank you so much to all the people who favorited, followed, and reviewed for this story! Truthfully, I had planned an extra chapter talking about Nema's "happily ever after", but then I realized that there wasn't enough to write about to make a substantial chapter. I also had thought about putting up two alternate outcomes to how Crimson ends up avoiding death and waking up after the surgery, but then I realized that it probably wasn't going to matter too much to you guys.

ALTERNATE 1: Simple as this: Ben saves Crimson. The usual, corny "come back to me" whatnot. I wasn't actually too interested in writing such a sappy scene. Yes, I am a helpless romantic at heart, but I don't want to make this series too sappy (and it probably already is very sappy and I should just punch myself in the gut).

ALTERNATE 2: I was thinking of having this idea that Ben was leading Crimson off to death instead of back to life! Crimson ends up choosing to follow her own heart and go back to life of course. Mind you, the Ben was the one from her memories, so if she followed that Ben…she would be following the shadow of him rather than who he really came out to be.

FORGOTTEN NOTES!

I realized that I had forgotten to explain some things in the story! Here's a quick explanation down below.

If you guys can remember, Crimson was shot by one of the admins from "The Utopia". However, as she's falling to the floor, she fires two more shots and she hears a scream just before she passes out from lack of blood. It turns out that one shot had hit his throat and the other had hit his eye. Since the rangers were more concerned with their own people, the guy (eventually) died of overdose.

The death of Crimson's father wasn't really explained. If anything, Crimson had the biggest reason to attack Purple eyes and Hocus—after all, they were the main participants in the bank robbery that happened when Crimson was eleven. Crimson's dad was taking Aaron home from a music lesson and was hit when the two of them were crossing the street. As you know, Aaron escaped with a couple of scrapes and bruises, but Crimson's father died the moment that he was hit.

Who really died in the raid? Well, two rangers died (the first one that came in alone and one of the two that came in later on). Jamie was lucky to escape with a cut on her arm, but the bullet went through her Staraptor's torso. The ranger that had gone in with her had lost his life, but his Staraptor was merely playing dead until the other rangers came in. The first ranger that came in lost both his life and his Partner Pokémon. Not to mention, Bridges was later found dead in his jail cell (suicide, probably) and one of the admins (as mentioned in #1) died from overdosing on Knock-out.

Why were there still Pokémon in the gardens? Well, the Utopia members wanted to hide as many Pokémon as they could from the Sarin family. The left the Pokémon in the gardens alone because the Sarin family had seen those Pokémon more than once and it would be extremely suspicious if the garden after the raid (if it hadn't happened) lacked all the Pokémon that inhabited it.

Where was Pichu?! Pichu was hiding the gardens with the rest of the Pokémon. He was probably protecting them from the Utopia members who thought it would be alright if they just swiped a few. He eventually came home on Kellyn's shoulder and continued as Crimson's Partner Pokémon until he passed from old age. I'm approximating his death to be around a year or two after Crimson's daughter's birth. But don't worry about that—he did end up having offspring. After all, Zenith's girlfriend/wife isn't a Pokémon breeder just in name.

Anyway, quick, heartfelt shout-outs to my darling reviewers:

**Some Person**: Thank you so much for following me throughout the entirety of this story. You were (truthfully) the only person who made me so diligent when it came to writing this fanfic. I usually don't get very enthusiastic feedback (I know some people like my other writing, but I just don't feel as compelled by their comments. There's not as much enthusiasm in their comments as yours…) and that causes me to stop writing. If anyone should be credited for the completion of this story, I'm sure it would be you.

**TheSilverDragoon**: You followed me in the beginning, but afterwards, I don't know what happened to you! Either way, I want to thank you very much for liking my story enough to review it.

**ShadowLibra**: Thank you so much for all the reviews that you've given to me! I am very thankful that you enjoy the sub-character personifications (**Instinct** and _**Reason**_) and I hope that you enjoyed the entirety of the story!

**Sophia-DC**: I was OVERJOYED when I realized that more and more people liked this story—and I want to thank you very much for your reviews, favorite, and follow! I'm sorry to hear about how you lost all your stories, but I'm glad that you still enjoy Fanfiction enough to come back to read.

And to my wonderful followers (I sound like an occult leader):

**Reynard the Fox**: Yayyyyy! This means that you look forward to the story! Even if you don't feel like you want to review (don't worry, whenever I favorite/love a story, I rarely review too), I definitely feel your support for this story.

**Sophia-DC**: I know I mentioned you earlier, but I still want to thank you again!

Next to my loving favoriters (that should be a word):

**Eclipsegirl 4488**: I'm glad you liked this story enough to favorite it! Favorites are very very very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy the ending!

**Shadowlibra**: Oh my god! I didn't even realize that you not only reviewed for this story, but YOU FAVORITED IT TOO! AUGGHHH DOUBLE LOVE TO YOU!

**Sophia-DC**: You know I love you.

**UhhIdontknow**: Thank you SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO much for liking this! Your support makes me feel like I'm ki—uh, Queen of the World of "GS: If Divided, All Will Fall"!

And finally, thank all of you who visit/view this story! Hopefully the last chapter is going to win some more love and I'll see a new name under the list of people who favorited the story!

Thanks everyone! I don't think I'm going to be writing a new GS fanfic (unfortunately, this was my only/good idea) but I will be writing stories featuring my favorite pairings for **HETALIA**, **WARRIOR CATS**, anddd….that's about it. Well, I might just feel obligated to write about another pairing, but if you see any new stories popping up, then those will be mostly based off of the two series that I've named up above.

Thanks again, everyone!


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